Falling Down
by Super Saiyan Cyndaquil
Summary: When Jaune loses the use of his legs he is faced with the reality that his future dreams of being a Huntsmen may have gone with them. However, Ruby isn't prepared to let him give up as this begins to put a strain on their budding relationship.
1. Chapter 1

Beta: Jefardi

* * *

 **Falling Down**

 _Chapter One_

* * *

"I really think I'm going to be sick." Jaune groaned, clutching his stomach as if it was about to explode at any given minute. Which at this point wouldn't surprise him.

"Is that from the nerves or all the food we just ate?" It was little comfort, but Ren looked to be regretting their decision to gorge themselves right before their match just as much if not more, than he did.

"Both." Jaune shot back dryly, causing a small smirk of mirth to cross Ren's face. He really meant those words though; the food was bad enough, but this dimly lit hallway wasn't doing much for his nerves. Especially since he could hear the throngs of people directly above him as they all waited for the match to begin.

"You'll be fine." Pyrrha enthusiastically clamped a hand on both of their shoulders, giving them one of her award winning smiles that could probably reassure an Ursa. "Both of you. And if it comes down to it… well, take Nora's advice."

"Yeah! Aim it at the enemy!" Nora wickedly repeated her earlier joke, at least he thought it was a joke. Knowing Nora it could go either way.

"Shall we go?" Ren at least seemed to find his partner's words comforting as he straightened out the smallest amount, before beginning to walk towards the blindingly illuminated exit. Nora skipped merrily next to him and they passed outside and onto the arena grounds together.

"Guess so." Jaune gave a dull nod at his own partner and they both started after their teammates.

"Jaune! Wait!" Well, they tried to anyways, but a call from further down the tunnel stopped them in their tracks. They both turned to see Ruby darting up to them as quickly as her little legs would take her, which was actually quite quick.

Pyrrha gave him what felt like some kind of understanding pat and a wink before she started after the others without him. "Good luck, Jaune." She said with a cryptic smile. He had no time to wonder what she meant as Ruby doubled over in front of him, gasping for breath.

"I… caught… up." She heaved each word with a ragged exhale before gaining some small form of composure.

"What's up, Crater Face?" He placed a hand on his hip and gave a small tilt of the head. They had literally just seen each other when both their teams had been eating. Although the two of them hadn't had much chance to chat.

Ruby's cheeks puffed out in a pout at his use of her old nickname, but at the same time she was fumbling with the hem of her combat skirt and silver eyes were darting around in an effort to look anywhere but at him. The odd combination of her pouting face and embarrassed blush was so funny he almost laughed out loud. Instead, he managed to restrain it to a joking smile.

"Sorry, I'm just messing with you." He tried to amend but almost immediately ruined it with his next sentence. "You just make the cutest face whenever I call you that." Of course he had to add that, only further adding heat to her reddening face.

"Jaune!" She drawled loudly and flailed her arms wildly. This time he did chuckle as he held up his own hands defensively, her tiny fists battering at him, albeit without any real force.

"What? Not gonna shoot back with a Vomit Boy?" He probably shouldn't joke about that nickname right now though, since it was entirely possible he was going to show off why he earned it on national television for the whole world to see. Great, as if he wasn't already nervous enough.

Although, this small banter with Ruby was already enough to help somewhat calm his heightened nerves. She always did have that kind of effect on him whenever they talked. Probably yet another reason why they were best friends. Well, that along with the fact they were both horribly awkward fellow leaders.

Ruby finally quit flailing and instead crossed her arms, glaring up at him. "I was coming to wish you good luck, but I think I'm going to give it to the other team instead."

Jaune rolled his eyes and lightly nudged her shoulder. "Come on now, don't do that. I'm seriously going to need all the luck I can get. Although my team has probably got the rest covered."

Ruby's eyes softened ever so slightly and she gave what he could only describe as a jittery smile. "I uhh… might just so happen to know a way to give you a super boost of luck."

"Really?" He quirked an eyebrow suspiciously. She wasn't going to try some magic chant from a cartoon or something, was she? He certainly wouldn't doubt it.

She nodded so enthusiastically it caused her short hair to bounce. "My sister taught it to me… you gotta close your eyes though."

He was even more suspicious now, anything taught by Yang surely spelled trouble. Still, he had teased Ruby enough so he supposed he could at least go along with it. With some reluctance, he slid his eyelids closed and waited to find out just what this luck boost really was.

With his sight cut off, everything around him seemed to be amplified. He could feel the crowd's excited cheers right down to his bones, their clamouring vibrating the whole coliseum. The smell of concessions reminded him once more of his impending nausea and he became acutely aware of how clammy his hands were. Would he even be able to wield Crocea Mors like this?

He allowed himself to get so caught up in all these things happening around him, he momentarily forgot Ruby was directly in front of him until the softness of her palms gripped the sides of his cheeks. The small warmth was so startling he nearly opened his eyes.

Instead, he allowed them to remain closed even as Ruby's hands pulled his face down ever so slightly. All other noise and feeling vanished as he focused in only on Ruby's gentle touch. On the small nervous breathes she gave that smelled of cinnamon. And then on the small jolt of lightning that permeated his whole body as something soft and wet pressed against his dry lips.

Without even meaning to, he leaned a little more deeply into what was undoubtedly a kiss, forgoing all other sense of time and space. He no longer realized he was late to a fight, or that just above him, separated by a row of concrete were thousands of people waiting for that fight. The only thing he knew right now was that Ruby was right in front of him, and their lips locked together.

So when she pulled back, after what was probably only but a brief moment in time, he nearly stumbled forward. Air filled his lungs as he breathed in the dank hallway. The clamouring of the crowds returned. And as he opened his eyes, only scattering rose petals were left in place of the girl he had just shared his first kiss with.

He slowly rose two fingers and pressed them against his lips, still able to feel remnants of the warmth and a huge grin split his face. Oh yeah, he didn't feel like there was any chance he could lose now.

Once more, he turned back to the blinding light that led to the arena. And this time nothing stopped him as he marched confidently into that light, ready to put all the luck Ruby had just given him on display.

* * *

"Team JNPR of Beacon vs Team BRNZ of Shade." Professor Port announced as the two contesting teams stood opposite one another in the middle of the arena. The glowing plates that would randomly choose the outside environments of the arena had just started spinning.

Weiss tapped the side of her arm impatiently with one finger, eyes darting between the match that was about to begin and down the row of seats, looking for any sign of Ruby. She only had a couple seconds or she was going to miss the beginning of the match.

Which would have been ironic, considering she was by far the most vested in it. That wasn't to say that the rest of them weren't interested in cheering on their sister team, but her partner was the only one with a crush on a particular member from that team as well.

A loud hum just to her left caused Weiss' eye to twitch as she turned to see their leader sitting there as if she had been present the whole time. "I didn't miss anything did I?" She looked around the arena feverishly, before relaxing once she realized that the random environments hadn't been generated yet.

"Rather than you missing something, what did we miss? Huh, sis?" Yang grinned teasingly and began jabbing her sister in the side.

"N-n-nothing!" Ruby quickly and miserably lied, pulling the hood of her cloak over her blushing face.

Yang's lilac eyes widened. "You took my advice… didn't you?" Ruby shook her head vigorously from side to side, but that did little to convince her older sister. "Oh! I'm so proud of you! My little sister is growing up."

Weiss rolled her eyes. Honestly, what she saw in that dunce, she had no idea. However, she would admit he was more tolerable as of late. And the two of them did have a certain awkward chemistry… no, she wasn't going to try and justify this in her head. Better to just leave it alone.

With a loud beep, the rotating boards came to a stop. The arena floor opened up on either side of the teams as two sets of perfectly replicated outside environments rose from the darkness below. Behind team BRNZ was a forest area, and behind JNPR was a tall mountain.

"Three." Port began counting down the moment both stages were set.

"Two." Both teams tensed for battle.

"One." Ruby overcame her embarrassment enough to cup both hands over her mouth and give a loud cheer.

"Begin!"

Before either team had a chance to react, something flew out of the sky like a meteor and crash-landed directly in between the two groups.

The resulting explosion from the crash sent every member of both teams sprawling to their backs, where most of them remained unmoving. Meanwhile, a cloud of smoke drift up from the point of impact, obscuring whatever it may have been that just crash-landed.

"Was that… someone's Semblance?" Yang scratched her head as she, along with everyone else in the entire stadium tried to figure out what just happened.

"I don't think so." Blake shook her head, already halfway out of her seat. "That didn't look like something intentional from either team." This point Weiss had to agree on. If someone on either team had dropped something from the sky, it would have been poorly timed.

Something within the smoke shifted and the tall figure of what appeared to be a man rose out. As the remaining smoke dwindled away, gasps from the entire crowd were heard, and Weiss was ashamed to admit her own voice had added to them.

Not just her's but her entire team as well, all of them surely recognizing the man that had stepped out from the concealing smoke. They didn't know him by name. Nor could they say they knew his face, as it was concealed by that white mask. However, they surely knew him.

Weiss had faced him on the train that had departed from Mt Glenn. To her shame, she had suffered a humiliating defeat to this man, this faunus. The chainsaw he had wielded was nowhere in sight. Unlike last time, he had shiny new metallic gauntlets and greaves on his hands and feet.

"Amity Colosseum..." The man spoke out in greeting, his deep voice echoing through the colosseum speakers. "You thought you were safe... You thought that because you stopped the Breach of Vale that you had won. That because you arrested a common criminal like Roman Torchwick that we were defeated.

You were wrong."

He gestured broadly to them all, spinning in a slow circle, as if capturing the face of every single person in the crowd who had fallen deathly silent. No one made a sound, everyone was too scared to move, let alone speak. "You depend on your Huntsmen and Huntresses to protect you. To keep you safe.

You rely on the army of Atlas and their technology to defend you. Allow me then, to show you how misguided you truly are. Using the very weapons designed to aide you-" He held up the gauntlets and Weiss' eyes widened as her mouth dropped in horror. The marking of the Schnee Dust Company was imprinted on the side. "- I will take the life of your Champion. Just as the life of my own brethren was taken to create these weapons."

"Jaune…" Ruby's mouth barely whispered those words and Weiss' vision danced to the two teams still inside the arena. Almost all eight of them were still down… with the exception of one. The blonde knight had somehow staggered back to one knee but he clearly looked far too disoriented to understand what was happening.

"I'm not waiting around for this nut to do whatever the Hell he wants." With an audible click, Ember Celica shifted into active mode as Yang rose dramatically to her feet. Blake was already standing next to her at the ready. Weiss gave their leader only a brief glance just in time to see her nod and rest a hand on Crescent Rose.

That was all the confirmation Weiss needed. As if they were of one mind, the four members of team RWBY leapt forward together… and bounced pointlessly backwards off the barrier originally intended to protect the audience from any of the contestant's attacks. The barrier flickered as several dozen other Hunters all experienced the same problem, the barrier repelling anyone that tried to get through. Something was wrong. It should've gone down already. That meant something, or someone was interfering with their control of the colosseum.

"Why isn't this thing coming down?" Yang yelled as she swung at it with her fists, Ember Celica discharging powerful dust shells. Two explosions blasted pointlessly backwards, startling the crowd behind them. One women shrieked, and as if she set off a chain reaction, the entire stadium broke into a mass of panic.

The silence was replaced by ear-shattering howls of terror and a stampede of footfalls as civilians trampled all over one another. Weiss pressed herself as closely against the barrier as she could in an attempt not to get swallowed by the rampaging crowd.

This was quickly becoming a nightmare. If the crowd had just remained still, the Hunters would actually be able to properly navigate and figure out the best possible means to get inside the barrier. Now that the panic had begun though, their priority was going to have to shift to those injured in all the madness. And Atlas' Air force wouldn't be able to properly respond once all the ships fleeing the stadium filled the skies.

Regardless, until things out here settled down, they weren't going to be able to look for a proper way through the barrier. Which meant until they could find a way to bring it down, BRNZ and JNPR were on their own.

More specifically, it looked like Jaune was on his own.

* * *

What the Hell was going on?

Jaune's mind groggily tried to work its way through everything in as linear a fashion as it could. Which was turning out to be surprisingly difficult.

It didn't help that his vision was still swimming, and even though the ringing in his ears was finally beginning to subside, it was replaced by the deafening sound of a thousand screams of terror.

The only thing he knew was, the match was just about to begin… and something struck the ground. Whatever it was, it had knocked him clean on his ass and was probably what started all this panic he was hearing.

His vision finally began to focus and the first image he saw was the unconscious form of his partner. "Pyrrha!" His voice gave a strangled cry as he dropped down next to her, pressing a finger just below her neck. There was a pulse, she was okay. At the very least she was alive.

Once the initial panic began to subside, he realized everyone else was also down. And standing in their place was some man he had never seen before. His affiliation was quite clear though. Jaune slowly rose back to his feet, both hands gripping either part of Crocea Mors tightly as he glared down the man with the most intimidating look he could muster.

"...Your Aura is impressive." The man's voice was deep and gruff, devoid of any emotion. Jaune didn't want to admit it, but that only added to his already frightening appearance. He took an intimidating step forward and Jaune's eyes were drawn to the greaves on his feet.

With every step, small waves of blue energy pulsed out from under the soles of his feet. Had it been those that had knocked them all out when this guy came barreling down like a meteor?

It didn't matter. The only thing that was important right now was buying time. For whatever reason, it looked like the barrier was still up. And the crowd was in the middle of trampling all over itself. This meant until things got brought under control on their end, he was the last line of defense on this end.

"So… you gotta name, big guy? Or do you just wanna be known as Random White Fang Grunt #24 when they write about how I kicked your ass in the paper?"

The man stopped about five steps away from him and inclined his head ever so slightly. Jaune couldn't see his face, but he seemed pretty pissed. What part of ticking him off seemed like a good idea again? Screw it, he was feeling pretty lucky right now. After all he had just gotten his first kiss not even five minutes ago.

"...My brothers have taken to calling me Banesaw. My true name… is no longer relevant." The moment those last words left his lips and he leaned in, fist already flying forward and the gauntlet on his arm glowing bright blue.

Shit. Jaune's brain didn't have enough time to process that dodging would undoubtedly be the better call, and instead just raised his shield lamely in defense. A dull ring echoed out across the arena and over the sound of the screams as every joint in his arm from the wrist to the shoulder locked and grinded together.

A light blue pulse expanded from the point of impact and Jaune was sent flying backwards at least a dozen feet. The world began to spin and he lost all sense of orientation as his body flipped through the air and stomach churned in protest. A flicker of red and bronze flashed by in a blur and he remembered his team.

They needed him right now. This wasn't the time for him to be getting tossed around in only a single hit. He tucked in a ball and his erratic flight straightened out, aligning his vision. Just before he hit the ground he kicked both legs out and touched down with his feet, skipping backwards and nearly stumbling into the rocks behind him. By some miracle he had managed to maintain his balance.

He really had to remember to thank Pyrrha again for all that training. Before he could pat himself on the back for pulling off such a landing, the light above him was blocked out and he was cast into shade. It didn't take longer than second for him to realize Banesaw was no longer on the ground in front of him.

His head snapped up to see the man flying above, foot extended high over his head and seconds away from coming down on him in an axe-kick. Jaune didn't think twice about diving to the side this time, narrowly dodging the man's leg as it blurred into motion.

The ground ruptured and metal hunks of the arena were sent whistling by Jaune's ear. While he was still pulling his foot from the ground, Jaune saw his chance to attack and leapt forward, sword raised over his head and shield held up in defense.

He never even got close as Banesaw ripped his foot free and pivot on the other, spinning around and launching a high-powered spinning kick aimed right at Jaune's head. The blonde had no choice but to abandon his own attack as he ducked. The wind pressure from the passing kick alone nearly bowled him over and he had little doubt if he hadn't reacted as he had that would've been it for his head

"Your attacks won't hit me!" The faunus yelled, clearly taking delight in picking on someone half his size. A gauntlet flew in low, bending up at the last second in a powerful uppercut that Jaune just barely managed to lean away from.

What he wasn't prepared for was the blue energy from the gauntlet to explode outwards even when it didn't land a direct hit, and Jaune was once more sent crashing backwards from the wave of power.

He hit the ground on his back and rolled to his feet all in one fluid motion only to yet again have Banesaw on him before he could recover. His right gauntlet already inches away from his stomach. Jaune got his shield in front of himself a second before it was too late.

Instead of hearing the dull ring from the collision like last time, there was a strange amount of silence as Banesaw stopped his fist millimetres short of striking the shield. So it came as even more of a shock when the blue energy passed through like it wasn't even there and Jaune doubled over. It felt like Yang herself drilled into him with one of her most angry punches.

He collapsed to a heap at Banesaw's feet and gave a horrible heave, once more feeling the impending threat of losing the contents of his stomach. "Tch… weak." The man scoffed and began to turn away with a metallic clink as his greaves touched down on the arena's surface.

Jaune felt like he was seeing double of everything as he fought to keep the bile down for just a couple seconds longer. This man… he was heading back to his teammates. For some reason, he was intent on killing one of them. And Jaune's gut told him it was Pyrrha he was after.

"W-wait…" His shield collapsed to the floor with a loud clang next to him as he abandoned it to reach forward, placing a hand just next to the Banesaw's foot. The man turned and gave an almost curious grunt as Jaune struggled up to his knees, barely managing to even achieve that.

And then… with a sickening heave he finally lost the contents of his stomach… projecting it all over the shiny metal greaves of his enemy. "What the Hell!?" The man gave a yelp that sounded both enraged, yet completely appalled at the same time.

As the vomit finally petered to a stop, Jaune just barely managed to give a sarcastic chortle, the very noise stinging his already sore throat. And with a raspy voice he glared up at Banesaw's masked face. "My attack… hit you."

Jaune knew what he had just done must have really, really, and he meant _really_ just pissed his opponent off.

So when Banesaw's foot lashed out in a kick aimed at his chin, Jaune was prepared and blocked the strike with his sword, holding one end with the hilt and pushing against the broadside of the other.

Of course, this guy was strong enough when not ticked. So with his strength enhanced now by an overpowering fury, Jaune was sent rocketing over the treetops of the forest sector and clear past them before diving for the dirt ground outside of the arena.

...He just had to say something witty.

That was his last thought before he struck the ground in a crumpled heap, kicking up a wave of dirt that blinded his vision. All sense of feeling flew from his body but somehow knew he must have still been moving as his body skipped forward and rolled to a stop.

 _Buzz_

A loud ding echoed over the arena, signaling that he had been knocked out of the arena. If this had been an official match, he would've just been disqualified. Too bad the rules in the real world weren't so nice.

Pain surged through every fibre of his body as feeling returned all at once and his lungs demanded air. The only thing he got with an inhale was all the dust circling around him and that sent him into a fit of coughs that wracked his body and caused it to seize.

A single arm duly waved in front of him, attempting to batter back the dust, only succeeding in kicking up more. Legs floundered and attempted to push him out from the infuriating particles, every movement causing fire to course through his veins.

Finally he succeed in breaking free of the miniature cloud only to smack the back of his head against the wall of the arena. Damn, that was one Hell of a punt to send him all the way over here. He attempted to raise one arm to feel a strange heaviness in it and only then realized he had somehow managed not to drop the blade of Crocea Mors in his short flight. The shield was still where he had dropped it, unfortunately.

"Jaune!" The barrier behind him shimmered and shook as the familiar voice of Ruby called just over head. Using the short wall as support, he pushed himself back up until he was barely standing on wobbly feet.

As he turned around, not letting his body leave the wall lest he fall right back to the earth, he came face to face with Ruby's horrified silver eyes. "...Hey." He gave her a bloody grin, pretty sure he felt his lips crack from the small movement alone.

Tears started to form in the corners of her eyes as she hit the barrier harder, causing it to shimmer multiple colors at once. Mouth opened and closed but only air escaped her lips as she tried to find the words to say to him right now.

The panicking crowds behind her had all but thinned and only the other Hunters were left now. It was only a matter of time before they got in. He just had to hold out a little longer.

He shook his head slowly, just the simple gesturing cause his vision to blot with black dots. "It's alright… Ruby. I know you would try to help if you could. Don't worry bout a thing. I've got this… after all, you gave me all that good luck."

A thundering crash echoed across the stadium and he grimaced, almost afraid to turn around. Despite the wishes of his aching body though, he forcibly broke eye-contact with Ruby and spun back to the arena, where several trees had just been uprooted, collapsing in what had been the loud ruckus he just heard.

And charging at him in a blind rage, was Banesaw, apparently having forgotten that his whole purpose had been to kill Pyrrha. Well, if nothing else that meant he had accomplished something, right? It made him feel better to think that way, at least.

Too bad he really didn't have much strategy left to hold this guy off any longer. Aura was shot, shield gone, and his limbs would barely respond. Defense was pretty much no longer an option. Which only left him with offense.

Do or die time. He just really hoped it wasn't die.

With a small push he stumbled off the wall, Banesaw quickly narrowing what little distance was left between them. "Jaune! Jaune!" Ruby found her voice as he stepped away, but he no longer had the luxury of glancing back. No matter how much he wanted to.

Deep breaths. Take deep breaths. Remember Pyrrha's training. He was a Hunter in training. This was what he signed up for. When he forged those transcripts, he was prepared for this.

Crocea Mors shook in the palms of both hands as he held the blade up. Banesaw was only several steps away from him now, one gauntlet cocked back and prepared to splatter his brains across the barrier. He could only imagine how that would scar Ruby, seeing such a gross sight.

He couldn't afford to look uncool in front of her now.

Banesaw swung. Jaune's sword quit trembling. His eyes hardened in resolve. Time slowed for but a brief second as he twisted the blade, scraping the tip against the metallic gauntlet as they grazed by one another, sending sparks flying. At the last possible second he twisted his neck and the fist flew right over his shoulder.

Jaune dipped in, and took a single confident step forward, twisting Crocea Mors horizontally. The muscles in his body tensed for a second before uncoiling, and he swung his sword.

Metal tore into flesh and blood sprayed from the gash he gouged into the side of his opponent. With a single swing he had ripped through the faunus' Aura. For just a second he felt a small sense of pride well inside his heart. Pyrrha's training had paid off.

He wasn't a failure.

 _Crack_

* * *

"Jaune!" Ruby's scream tore her vocal cords as she beat at the barrier with renewed tenacity.

This wasn't happening. This wasn't happening. She was not watching as this happened.

Jaune had dodged Banesaw's first swing, ducking just past it at the last possible second. Then he swung his blade and cut into him in what might have been the coolest move she had ever seen him pull.

But the wound had been shallow and Jaune was still within the tall man's reach. With a simple twist of the body and an underhanded jab, he struck Jaune middle of the back, and the noise that had followed was so sickening it made Ruby want to puke.

That gross, horrible noise of Jaune's spine taking the unblunted strike echoed so loudly she had no doubt that the whole coliseum had heard it, now that there were so few left.

Jaune's mouth was opened wide and he gave a pained breath, not even able to scream. His back was bent at an unnatural angle, legs spread wide and beginning to buckle. As the last of his strength gave out he began to crumple.

But Banesaw wasn't done with him yet as he gripped Jaune by the back of the neck before he could hit the ground. Jaune's legs dangled limply, unable to support him any longer.

As if flaunting a trophy, Banesaw spun around, holding Jaune's broken body in the air for all to see. The blonde's eyes were glazed over as he barely hung onto consciousness, blood flowing from his open mouth and dribbling down his chin.

Hot tears rolled down Ruby's cheeks and her eyes burned. The rest of the world melted away as she watched on helplessly as her friend and crush was broken down. Teeth grated together loudly and stomach churned angrily in protest as fiery hatred well up inside. Never in her life had she wished pain on another living person, let alone wanted someone dead.

"Uncle Qrow!?" Over the angry buzzing that had filled her ears, she heard Yang's surprised gasp and the rest of the world once more phased into focus as a staggering man off to the side entered her vision.

It _was_ their uncle… and he was inside the barrier, as absurd as that very thought was. Even Banesaw appeared surprised as he finally released Jaune who crumpled to the ground and ceased movement. "How… did you get in here?"

Qrow stumbled to a stop, just several feet from Banesaw before beginning to look around as if he suddenly realized he had no idea where he was. "I walked… hic. Do I look sober enough to drive?"

The faunus' fists curled and uncurled as he appeared to try and size up her uncle. The fact that he had gotten inside at all must have surely been sending off warning bells, yet the smell of alcohol wafting off him alone was a solid indicator of how drunk he was. And apparently that was enough for the tall man to decide her uncle would go down easily.

That was the last mistake he ever made.

Banesaw closed the distance in only a second, swinging his fist in the same manner he had started the last engagement with Jaune. And like the blonde, Qrow tilted his head out of the way at the last second and leaned forward, ducking around the attack. Unlike Jaune, when Qrow slid his sword off his back, he aimed to kill and cleaved the faunus clear in half with but a single swing.

In just that split second, the fight was over before it had even truly begun.

And as if mocking her, the moment he fell so did the barrier. Ruby stumbled forward and nearly flipped over the wall as the force field that had been keeping her from Jaune gave way. With a hum and a flurry of roses she was by his side in an instant.

"Jaune!" She dropped to her knees and lifted his head, placing it in her lap as she leaned an ear close to him. It was faint… but she could hear the sound of breathing. He was alive. Jaune was still alive.

"...What a mess." Her uncle grumbled as he stumbled towards her, swinging his blade back and forth in a vain attempt to shake loose the blood that stained its edges.

"Thank you, Uncle Qrow. Thank you." Ruby held Jaune up closer to her as she cradled him in her arms, tears once more flowing down her cheeks, this time in relief. "You… you saved Jaune's life. Thank you."

"...Yeah." Qrow ran a hand through his hair and gave a tired sigh before mumbling under his breath. "Although really, it might have been more kind to just let him die." At the time, Ruby didn't understand the meaning of his words. The only thing she cared about was that Jaune was alive. Because that surely had to be a good thing.

Right?

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** Bad day to be Jaune. Then again, with my stories, when isn't it?

I'm actually pretty disgusted with the lines I gave the villain through this chapter, but he served his purpose. And that purpose was breaking Jaune's back. The scene was actually loosely based off something that happened in The Flash, for those that watch it. Most of y'all are more likely to compare this to the scene from The Dark Knight Rises. I mean, c'mon, "Bane"saw. However, while there are certainly similarities to that too, my inspiration for that whole scene was the Barry/Zoom fight.

Anyways, don't know exactly when I'll publish the next chapter. I got two other projects going so it's kind of nuts for me to even consider starting a third. But the idea was there and Jefardi was willing to help out by doing a beta for it, so it happened.


	2. Chapter 2

Beta: Jefardi

* * *

 **Falling Down**

 _Chapter Two_

* * *

"Ruby, just sit down already. You're freaking me out." Her sister's words barely registered as Ruby paced back and forth in front of the door leading into Beacon's intensive care ward.

They had been here for hours now! Just what the heck was going on? Jaune was okay, surely he still had to be okay, right? She had been with him every step of the way up until they hit these damn doors and they told her she couldn't follow any further. He had at the very least been alive when they reached this point.

So then why? How was it possible it was taking them this long? He was simply a little beat up, that was all. There was no need for him to have to be sent into some kind of extensive surgery. Just give him a little Aura top-up and the natural energy would take care of the rest.

" _It might have been kinder to just let him die."_ Uncle Qrow's words echoed over and over again like an annoying jingle you wanted to forget. No matter how hard she tried to ignore them, they kept coming back.

A small part of her was angry at Uncle Qrow for saying such words. No matter how grateful she was that he saved Jaune, what he said just wasn't true. Nothing was worse than being left behind by those who passed on. Nothing.

With a small hiss, the door Ruby had been waiting on after all this time finally slid open. It took every fibre in her being not to fly through the small opening it created as Headmaster Ozpin stepped out from behind it, cane clicking against the ground with every step he took.

Before she could say or do anything, a firm hand clamped down on her shoulder, Yang leaning exaggeratedly against the younger sister. "So what's the word?" The older sister asked in a tone that sounded noncommittal, as if she didn't care one way or the other what the answer was. If it wasn't for the spark of concerned curiosity in her lilac eyes Ruby might have thought that was the case.

Ozpin paused and regarded them for several silent seconds. Fingers drummed thoughtfully against his cane and he looked to chew on the words before choosing exactly what to say. "Mister Arc is now awake."

Those words by themselves nearly caused Ruby's knees to buckle in relief. One of the only reasons she didn't fall was she had Yang to lean on for support. "When can he have visitors?" It was once again the blond that spoke.

"Mister Ren and Miss Valkyrie are with him now." Once again, Ruby had to resist the urge to bolt forward, only restrained when Ozpin continued speaking. "I ask that you give them their time with him first. Mister Arc… does not need to be overwhelmed by visitors right now."

"Is that also why Pyrrha isn't with him?" Ruby had been so eager to go see him herself, she hadn't even realized that Pyrrha hadn't once been mentioned by the Headmaster until Yang's latest inquiry.

"No. Miss Nikos not being with him is for an isolated pretext." Ozpin's suddenly stern tone sent a shiver up Ruby's spine. He must have noticed because he amended a moment later in a softer voice. "I apologize. The fact of the matter is, a member of the White Fang snuck into the coliseum right under our noses… and the incurring panic that generated nearly brought the Grimm stampeding to our doorstep."

"It didn't though… right?" A wave of guilt washed over the young huntress-in-training. If the Grimm were attacking she should be out there right now. Not just pacing back and forth while waiting.

"It did not." Ozpin alleviated her worries with a small wave of the hand. "In no small part thanks to the efforts of Mister Arc. His actions to stall for time long enough for Qrow to get in prevented what could have been multiple on-screen assassinations. That could've been the pushing point to madness that the Grimm wouldn't have ignored."

"Hear that, Rubes?" Yang jostled her hair affectionately. "Your boyfriend is a hero. Who would've thought ol' Vomit Boy had it in him?" Ruby blushed deeply but couldn't even bother to hide the shy smile that started to spread across her face.

Vale was safe from the threat of the Grimm. No one aside from that maniac who attacked them had been killed. And Jaune Arc was now a hero who had shown the whole world what he was capable of.

"I'm afraid there is one more thing you should know." Ozpin pulled Ruby back to reality with a solemn tone. She saw as Ozpin's grip on the cane tighten, and incline his head as if to mourn. "That final strike to the back Mister Arc took… it severally damaged several of his thoracic nerves. From what we can tell, permanently so."

Wait, wait, wait.

Damaged?

Permanently?

Ruby's mind tried to make sense of these words like it was the first time in her life she had ever heard them before. Once again, mouth failed to respond and Yang did the talking for her.

"What… exactly does that mean for Jaune?"

"At the present, Mister Arc has no feeling below the waist. Worst case scenario… he is never capable of walking again."

"That can't be right!" Ruby blurted without thinking. "What about his Aura? Shouldn't that heal his nerves?"

Ozpin shook his head. "The damage is too severe. Perhaps it is possible for Aura to heal such an injury but we do not understand it well enough to know how to manipulate it into creating such a miracle."

Her mind whirled as it tried to think of possibilities, briefly pulling up a mental image of Penny. "What about prosthetics? Surely our technology has advanced enough for us to give him new legs."

"Hmm." The Headmaster gave a small grunt of acknowledgment. "That is certainly a possibility, but what you're asking for is not nearly as easy as you make it sound." Her mouth opened in retort before he cut her off. "First off, Mister Arc still has all his limbs. In order to do what you are suggesting would require us to amputate. Furthermore, the damage is not to Mister Arc's legs, but his spine. Do you know how much of his body we would have to modify to accomplish this task?

Then… frankly speaking is the matter of cost. Beacon offers insurance to all its students should they sustain injuries on the field while attending our academy. It is a part of the industry after all and we want to see our students graduate to become the protectors of the world. Even that would only cover a fraction of the price necessary, meaning Mister Arc and his family would be required to pay enormous out-of-pocket expenses."

"You just got done saying he was a damn hero." Yang growled from behind Ruby, squeezing her younger sister a little more tightly as if to both protect and comfort her. "Are you telling us that this is how Vale treats those it considers its saviors?"

"I am." He didn't so much as even try to deny it. "During your first year at Beacon, I like to try and protect my students from as much of the true ugliness of the world as I possibly can. Some lessons, however… have to come early. This is one of them: The world is not always kind. No matter how good a person you are, nor how many heroic deeds you accomplish, the world simply does not care."

"Then what's the point!?"

"That is for you to decide." In stark contrast to Yang's growing anger, Ozpin remained completely calm. "Personally, I've always found the notion rather romantic. The fact that there are people out there willing to go above and beyond the call of action, to sacrifice it all; even knowing that the world may never thank them for it. Perhaps that's simply my own child-like innocence shining through, but those are my thoughts on the matter.

Now if you'll excuse me." Ozpin shifted the grip on his cane before setting off past them. "I have other important matters to attend to at the moment. Please remember not to overwhelm, Mister Arc. He is still in shock."

The Headmaster paused briefly just next to Ruby, placing a hand on her shoulder and leaning in close. "And do not give up on him, as that is not the intent of my words. He needs someone there to be strong for him. I'm counting on you."

Ruby didn't even get a chance to respond before Ozpin was gone, continuing on his way to where she did not know. The one thing she did for sure know was to take his final words to heart. That was what she intended to do from the beginning.

There was no way she was giving up on Jaune without a fight.

* * *

Pyrrha's fingers drummed against the sides of her biceps tersely.

She wanted to know why she was here in Ozpin's office right now and not by her partner's side. She wasn't even sure the extent of his injuries yet because Glynda refused to say anything.

The mysterious man that was supposedly their savior was equally silent, only occasionally making a noise when he drank out of some seemingly bottomless flask. When he wasn't doing that he was glaring at two of the other occupants of the room.

"I want to know how the White Fang got their hands on these, immediately." Ironwood slapped a hand on Ozpin's desk. Placed across them were four shiny metal weapons. A pair of gauntlets and grieves that had rendered herself and almost all the others in the arena unconscious immediately.

"I have already sent our father a message." Winter, Weiss' older sister, stated cooly, arms crossed and blue eyes flickering occasionally to her younger sister and Blake who sat here with Pyrrha. "Perhaps in the meantime, your _teammate_ might have some answers for us."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Blake's hair bristled as began to rise from the chair she sat in. She only got part way up before Weiss managed to restrain her with a slight touch to the shoulder.

The younger heiress gave an apologetic shake of the head before turning to glare at the elder. "Blake had _nothing_ to do with what happened today, Winter. Please do not make baseless accusations against my friends."

For a brief moment, regret flickered across Winter's eyes. It vanished as she held a fist up to her mouth and gave a polite cough. "I apologize, dear sister. I did not mean to offend you or your friend. I'm simply… tense is all. This technology is something our father has been developing for years in secret."

"...It's fine." Blake relented to the apology first, sitting back in the chair and giving both Weiss and Winter an appreciative nod. "The White Fang has gone too far this time. I really thought we had dealt with them after Mt Glenn too…" She sounded deeply disappointed, yellow eyes downcast.

"We'll stop them, Blake. I promise." Weiss once more placed a hand on her shoulder, an act that the faunus girl clearly found solace in as she gave a more resolute nod.

Ironwood cleared his throat, earning everyone's gaze. "Winter." The older woman straightened at her name. "Why don't you take your sister and her teammate and go enjoy what Beacon has to offer? I'm sure you have a lot of catching up to do."

"Yes, General." Winter's tone body language gave away nothing, acting as if it was just another order. Her eyes betrayed how elated she truly was at Ironwood's suggestion. She turned on Weiss and Blake waving them along with a small flick of the wrist. "Come, let us go."

"Okay." Weiss hopped up perhaps a little too eagerly. The sisters were closer than Pyrrha had expected, given what she knew about Weiss. The younger heiress had been restraining outright joy the whole time they were in the same room together despite the serious circumstances that brought them all here.

Blake followed silently after the two sisters, sharing one last glance with Pyrrha before leaving the office. The champion didn't miss that she hadn't been excused along with them. Which brought her back to wondering why she was here at all to begin with.

If they wanted to ask her more about what happened she wasn't going to be much help. She had been rendered unconscious pretty much immediately on Banesaw's entrance and thus couldn't recall much of anything. Her time would be much better spent by Jaune's side and making sure he was okay then here.

A small alert on Glynda's scroll caught her attention and she saw the older woman glance at the contents before giving what sounded like an exhausted sigh. "Ozpin is on his way. Now that it's just us, I think it will be safe to start the meeting."

"Umm… should I also see myself out?" Pyrrha started to rise, wondering if maybe they just forgot that she was here.

"No, Miss Nikos." Ironwood leaned on the desk, fixing her with a sure gaze. "You are as much a part of this meeting as the rest of us."

"Might be more accurate to say you're the star of this little get-together." For the first time the mysterious man behind her spoke, stumbling over to her drunkenly.

"Qrow, enough." Glynda scolded, or, at least, tried to sound scolding but to little avail.

"What? I mean, she is, isn't she? After all, we were going to wait to have this little meeting to see how she performed throughout the tournament. Then that whackjob with _Atlas_ technology had to come in and try to assassinate her."

"Assassinate _me_?" Pyrrha jumped to her feet, whirling to face the man she now knew as Qrow. "Why would anyone want to kill me?"

"Somehow, it would appear the enemy became aware of our plans." Ironwood stood once more straight, placing both hands behind his back.

"Not you too, James!" Glynda rubbed her head as if to fight off an impeded headache.

"For once I agree with Qrow." The General and the drunk shared a heated stare for a split second before he continued. "Despite his less than subtle _accusations_ against my kingdom, there really is no need to further delay letting Miss Nikos know the truth."

"What truth!?" Pyrrha looked around in exasperation. This whole conversation was continuing like she wasn't even here, despite the fact that they were talking about her.

"Look what you're doing, both of you!" Glynda slapped her riding crop against the desk, silencing everyone and commanding their absolute attention. "You are causing Miss Nikos distress, and that is not how we want to handle this situation."

"...Shorry."

"My apologies."

Both men relented under her strict gaze. As it turned back to Pyrrha, her eyes softened immensely and she gave the champion a warm, motherly smile. "Pyrrha… please, sit back down."

"O-okay." Despite her general nervousness at the situation, she really did feel like she could trust Professor Goodwitch. She knew the older woman meant her no harm.

"Now… we're going to start this properly." Glynda sat in Ozpin's desk, opposite of her. "So in order to do that, I am going to ask you a question. Are you ready?"

Pyrrha gave a slow nod, unsure of what it was she would possibly ask, but certainly not expecting the words that came out of Glynda's mouth next.

"What is... your favorite fairy tale?"

* * *

Jaune watched as his fingers curled and uncurled. Even without conscious thought, this was something he and every other person in the world were capable of doing. It wasn't anything special.

Yet when he tried to will his toes to do the same thing… nothing. Everything below the waist might as well not even exist so far as his brain was concerned. He couldn't feel it in the slightest, nor could he command it to do anything.

Even Nora's rough pat to the shin elicit no reaction or trace of a sensation. His bubbly teammate had tried several times in different areas to get even the smallest twitch from his legs, becoming almost frighteningly desperate in her attempts.

What hit him the hardest was the restrained tears in her teal eyes that he only started to notice towards the end. That only made him feel worse. She was trying so hard for his sake to prove to him that he would be fine, yet he hadn't been able to give her any kind of showing or sign that he was going to recover from this.

Worse yet, was the sympathetic look Ren gave him the entire time he was in the room. That look… it felt like he was twisting the knife only further into Jaune's pride. He knew Ren wasn't doing it on purpose. The silent man was simply trying to be here in a show of support for him.

Right now though, he didn't think he could take their pity or their comfort. So he had asked them to leave, claiming it was because he was tired and wanted to nap. Nora seemed to buy it quickly enough but Ren knew… Jaune simply hadn't wanted them to look at him anymore.

However, the moment they were gone he missed their presence. Without them here to distract him, his mind continually wandered to the lack of sensation in the lower half of his body. When they were here he was reminded of it, and when they weren't he had nothing else to think about but it.

There was just no escape. No matter what he did, it was like the world was trying to throw it in his face: The fact that he couldn't feel his legs.

A knock on the door to his room thankfully pulled him from these thoughts and he looked up to see a pair of silver eyes staring back. "Hi… Jaune." Ruby fumbled with the edge of her skirt as she greeted him awkwardly.

He couldn't help but smile at her, pushing any other thoughts to the back of his mind. "Hey, Ruby."

A hum and a swirl of roses dancing in front of his face later and Ruby tackled into him, wrapping his body tightly in a hug that could rival one of Nora's. "I missed you too…" He barely managed to gasp out as he returned the hug, albeit with a considerable amount less force.

"I'm sorry, Jaune. I'm so sorry." She repeated over and over again.

"What are you talking about?" He rolled the hands resting on her back to the shoulders before pushing back, separating the two of them. Ruby's silver eyes were wet with tears that had just started to fall, and she shook her head back and forth.

"I shouldn't have distracted you during the fight. I shouldn't have stopped you before the match. I sh-"

"Whoa, whoa." He cut off her rapid burst sentences before she could pile anything more on. "None of what happened was your fault. Hell, I'm probably only still alive right now because of that luck boost you gave me." The corner of her lips started to twitch, almost breaking into a smile at his words of assurance.

"You're… not upset? Or mad? What about your legs?" So much for trying to forget all about that for a few minutes. He supposedly he couldn't blame Ruby for bringing it up so quickly. She probably only just found out from Ren and Nora so of course she would want to ask him about it.

"I mean… I don't know?" He gently took her hand in his and moved it down, placing the palm against his knee. "...I can't even feel that. It's kind of crazy, right?"

"Y-You'll be fine! I guarantee you'll get better. If not, we have so much amazing technology they'll find a way to make you better!" Ruby said this desperately, more like she was convincing herself of this than she was him.

He once more gave her a warm smile. "Thanks, Ruby. I know I'm in rough shape right now. Ozpin and the doctor wouldn't tell me much, saying I should just keep my mind as open as possible. They seemed kind of down on my chances… but I've got a lot of Aura. Pyrrha has even said so. Multiple times. So I'll probably be okay in the end… right?" Despite trying to be the one reassuring her, he found his confidence waver a bit at the end.

Ruby nodded enthusiastically. "You'll be fine!" She repeated again. "It just… it might take some time."

"Time… huh?" Blue eyes shifted off Ruby and once more looked down at his legs. "I don't know if I can afford to waste a bunch of time. I was always behind all of you to begin with. If I take too long, you'll all just widen the gap again and I'll be even more worthless to you then I was before."

"You were never worthless, Jaune." Ruby gripped both hands and squeezed tightly. "You may not have always been the greatest in a fight… and sometimes you made some pretty boneheaded mistakes-" Thanks for the confidence boost. "But your heart was always in the right place. That's what's most important about being a hero, Jaune. That's why I fell in love with you."

"..."

"..."

"...Wait, what?" His eyes darted back to meet hers. Ruby's face had turned beet red at the unexpected confession and his was quickly catching up. It wasn't like it was a complete surprise, especially after that kiss they shared in the hallway of the coliseum, but to hear her say it aloud… it was almost unreal.

"Uh-Uhh…" Ruby stuttered and stopped, eyes suddenly finding the ceiling incredibly interesting. She also seemed to forget they were still holding hands as she squeezed his tightly. "I uh… wow, this is weird timing. I didn't mean to say that just now. I mean, I meant it but I didn't mean it."

"Ruby, stop. I get it… I think." If she kept going he had no doubt that she would only succeed in confusing them both even more than they already were.

"Right. So that's out there. Yep… yeah." Ruby finally looked back at him, grinning sheepishly, blush still prominent on her face.

"Ha." He let out an awkward chuckle, still not entirely sure what to make of her left-field confession. That chuckle coerced a light giggle out of Ruby. As if this opened the floodgates, laughter filled the room and washed away all the awkwardness. Only once they calmed down was Jaune able to speak again.

"Thank you, Ruby." He gave her hands a light squeeze. "I don't know how long it'll take feeling to return to my legs… but I hope that when it does, you'll still be waiting for me."

"...Waiting for you?" She turned her head curiously, and he felt his heart drop.

"Well, yeah. I mean… you'll probably be busy with Huntress stuff and classes while I recover. I don't know how long it'll be before I'm able to start attending again… but when I do, hopefully, you haven't moved on."

Ruby shook her head. "I'm not… I'm not going to sit around and wait for you, Jaune." Oh. Well, he had really misread this situation. He tried not to show the hurt and sting on his face but had no doubt he was failing horribly.

"I want to be with you while you recover; I want to help you get better. So let me help you Jaune… if you want, I'll help you not as a friend… but as your girlfriend."

The earnest way in which she said those words and the serious look in those silver eyes made him feel like an idiot for doubting for even a moment. "Nothing… would make me happier."

He let go of one hand, bringing it up to cup her cheek. She leaned into his touch and gave a relieved smile. As he smiled back she began to lean in. He met her halfway, eyes flickering closed as their lips met once again in a deep kiss.

When the kiss ended, Ruby didn't pull away and instead snuggled her head into his chest, wrapping one arm around him and continuing to hold his hand with the other. He couldn't say for sure how long they sat like that. Part of him never wanted the moment to end.

Ruby filled him with confidence. At that moment, he truly believed he might one day be able to walk again. So long as she was with him, he had thought there was a chance that he could really get his legs back.

Yet despite all this confidence, there was something about how hard she was trying to convince not just him, but herself; that gave him a small niggling of doubt.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** What is this? An update on this story?

The whole truth hasn't hit Jaune yet and he even ended up with a cute girlfriend this chapter, so he's actually doing alright. Don't worry, that'll deteriorate soon enough. I wouldn't be me if Jaune wasn't suffering and traumatized throughout the story, after all.

Although, with the way Volume Three ended, y'all might have had enough of the suffering and trauma lately. Not that it's going to stop me. I have made several changes to the outline of this story with the information Canon has given us this season. Nothing in the grand scheme or theme of the story has changed, but certain nuances have. The main story is going to revolve around Jaune and Ruby, but there will be more going on in the background throughout now.

I'm not sure how Ozpin came across this chapter but expect to see more of him. He is a tagged character for a reason.

Thanks so much to everyone that supported this story! Sorry it took so long for another chapter, and there probably will be another long break in between this one and the next, but I hope you'll look forward to it!


	3. Chapter 3

Beta: Jefardi

* * *

 **Falling Down**

 _Chapter Three_

* * *

"Soaring Ninja wins!" One of Yang's lilac eyes twitched as she failed to restrain an audible growl.

"You suck, old man!" She threw the scroll down in humiliation, tired of constantly being beaten by her uncle in this lame game.

"Watch your mouth, kid." Qrow's tone sounded stern but the shit-eating grin he was wearing quickly dissuaded any thoughts that Yang's words actually upset him.

"Make me." She stuck her tongue out, before rolling back and laying her head on the floor. Zwei let out a small yip as he ran up to her and she hoisted the little dog into the air.

"Trust me, that's not something you want me to do." Her uncle leaned back, placing both hands on the floor behind him before tilting his head to look out their open door. "So where's that pipsqueak you call a sister? I expected to see her around by now, yet haven't even seen a trace of the little rascal since the coliseum."

"Provided she took my advice, she should be hanging out with her boyfriend." At least she hoped Ruby had worked up the courage to actually confess. It was almost heartbreaking to watch her little sister mope about, agonizing over what she would even say to him.

"Boyfriend?" Out of the corner of her eye, she could've sworn she saw him straighten out as that word left his mouth. "Please tell me you're not talking about that scraggly blond kid." He almost sounded exasperated as she turned to see him running a hand down his stubble.

"What if I am?" Yang sat back up, pulling Zwei to her chest and scratching his ears. "You got a problem with Jaune?" Sure, he certainly wasn't what she would consider perfect, but Ruby liked him. And he seemed to care for Ruby in turn. She couldn't explain what it was she saw whenever the two of them interacted, but somehow... it always looked right.

"No, not at all… unless you consider the fact that he was turned into a paraplegic not but a couple hours ago." This time, it was Qrow that growled as he spoke, causing Yang's eyes to go wide. Gone was his usual smirk; replaced now by a humorless frown.

"Excuse me?" Her voice went up an octave, not entirely sure she was able to believe the words that just left his mouth. Was he saying that because Jaune couldn't walk that he wasn't worthy to have someone love him anymore? Just thinking that might be what Qrow was implying nearly caused her eyes to shift red.

"Look, that kid just had his whole world brought crashing down on top of him." Her uncle slowly stumbled to his feet, nearly falling twice in the process. "His dreams of being a Huntsman… his time at this school… everything… it's done. Gone."

"You don't know tha-"

"I do know that!" He cut her off with a yell that even caused Zwei to whimper. Yang tightened her grip on the dog, stroking him soothingly. "I've been around the block a couple times in this life, Yang. Seen this happen to a lot of people. They never… never… take it well. He's going to be hurting for awhile… both physically and emotionally."

"Then it's even more important that he knows there is someone there that cares for him. Ruby isn't going to let him go. She's strong… I know it." She'd watched Ruby doodle in that little sketchbook of hers, eyes looking across the hall as thoughts of Jaune filled her mind. Seen the awkward way she approached him for conversation, longing look in those silver eyes. This wasn't some stupid crush, Ruby genuinely felt something for Jaune. And when Ruby felt something, she never let go.

"You…" Qrow's eyes narrowed as if he just now seemed to realize something. "Do you have any idea what you've pushed Ruby into?"

"The only thing I did was give Ruby the nudge she needed to go out and get what she wants." Yang did her best to not show how uncomfortable she felt under his scrutiny.

"Yeah." Her uncle scoffed and looked bite back a sarcastic laugh. "Like mother, like daughter. You've sent Ruby down the same path Summer once had to go through: Picking up the broken pieces of a man who felt like he lost everything."

Yang physically recoiled as if she'd been slapped. "That's… not true." Ruby wasn't Summer. And Jaune certainly wasn't their father. Maybe it was true that seeing them together reminded her of early memories of their parents, but they always seemed happy as far as Yang could remember.

"Sorry to tell you, Yang, but it is true." Qrow slid both hands in his pockets and turned towards the door. As he left, he made one remark over the shoulder. "You just better hope their story has a happier ending than Summer's did."

* * *

Ren idly drummed his fingers against one of the unloaded magazines of Stormflower.

Cleaning his prized weapons had been something of a pastime for many years now. Whenever he felt stressed, or worried, or was just bored, he would take out both guns and meticulously inspect them. There was a strange sense of calm he had whenever he set about this task, gained by some small feeling of control it felt like he achieved when he knew both sidearms were in top shape and wouldn't let him down.

For perhaps the first time ever, doing so was failing him. This was just such an unprecedented occurrence he had no idea what to make of it, nor how to even cope. Jaune was… like the brother he never had.

Ren had never said this out loud, always leaving those words for the blond to say. Even in the infirmary just awhile ago, Ren failed to say those words. He had simply wanted to let Jaune know everything would be alright. The blank, almost disbelieving expression on Jaune's face had made that impossible. It was like their leader still hadn't fully grasped what had happened to him. And Ren was afraid that anything he said would be what upset that fragile balance Jaune's mentality was standing on. So the whole time he had been silent, and hadn't even had the courage to refuse Jaune when he asked them to leave.

Which was probably for the best anyways, considering how increasingly distressed Nora had been becoming. Even now, he heard silent sniffles from his partner and childhood friend's bed as she fought back tears. She hadn't said a word since they returned to their room, instead drowning out the world with music from her headphones. He was worried. Nora was never this quiet about anything. Even solemn, Nora generally carried at least a small spark of her boisterous spirit. This time, it was completely gone, lacking any sense of her usual optimism. If anything, he had selfishly hoped to have that to fall back on, but when even Nora was this down he couldn't help but feel even more depressed.

He heard an audible click as someone unlocked the door to their room. A moment later and Pyrrha opened it, eyes downcast and frown marring her normally beautiful face. She didn't greet them all as she stepped inside the room, closing the door behind her. Nor did it look like she had any intent to come any further in, just standing in that spot, staring aimlessly at the floor.

"Pyrrha…" He called, rising from the bed. She gave a small start, green eyes darting around before finally landing on him, seeming to only now realize she wasn't the only occupant of the room. "...you holding up alright?"

"Yeah…" She certainly didn't appear to be, tone not matching the word she said at all. "Sorry. I'm just a little out of it."

"That's understandable." Ren nodded slowly, pink eyes watching her warily, waiting for any kind of sudden change in case she break down. "How was he?"

"He?" Pyrrha's head tilted in confusion, which in turn only made Ren feel the same.

"...Jaune?" He supplied, suddenly more worried for her emotional health than before. How could she not know that was who he was asking about?

"Oh!" Pyrrha's eyes widened in understanding, mouth forming the same shape as the noise it made. "I… have not gone to see him yet."

"What? Why?" Ren's eyebrows furrowed, trying to make sense of what Pyrrha was saying. She should've been the one most anxious to see him. In fact, he almost imagined she would've fought through an army of Grimm to do just that. The fact that she already hadn't… he couldn't even fathom a reason that would be great enough to keep her from that.

"I just… I have a lot on my mind right now, okay?" She turned away from him, as if to end the conversation.

"No. That is not okay." So when he said those words, she looked more than just a little surprised. Frankly speaking, he was even a little shocked at the intensity in which he said them. "Jaune… our leader… your partner… do you know what happened to him?"

Pyrrha's shocked silence was the only response he got.

"His spine was broken, Pyrrha. The nerves in his back were pulverized. He's never going to be able to walk again." Ren paused just long enough for those words to sink in. "He needs us now more than ever… but you haven't gone to see him because you've got 'a lot on your mind.' That sounds like a pretty poor excuse to me."

"...You don't understand-"

"Then help me understand!" Nora jumped at his shout, pulling the earphones off to listen to their argument. "What is going on that you can't go see Jaune?"

"I-I can't tell you." Her eyes darted around the room, refusing to look at him. Shoulders were tense and she slowly began backing away, looking like a caged animal. As his mind made that analogy a wave of guilt washed over him.

"Pyrrha…" He closed his eyes, trying to take several deep breaths and slow his heart rate. What the Hell was wrong with him? This wasn't the time for them to be in-fighting. They needed to unite right now so they could all be there for Jaune. "...Let's just… let's go see Jaune. Together."

"No!" This time it was Pyrrha that raised her voice. Unlike with Ren, it didn't end with simply that. A small wave of darkness washed over the room before Stormflower, Nora's headphones, the lamps, anything with metal went flying and smashed against the walls.

He stood upright, mouth agape and eyes wide as he merely stared at her. Nora looked equally astounded, and it was only after Pyrrha took in both their gazes that she seemed to understand what it was she had just done. "I-I'm… I'm so sorry." Tears crept into the corner of her green eyes and before he could so much as raise a hand or try to call out to her, she took off running, throwing the door open and disappearing into the hallway.

He had no idea what just happened. Nor what it was he should do. Should he go after her? Telling Jaune certainly wouldn't be a good option, but he didn't know anyone else that could get through to her.

"Ren…" Nora's voice cracked and he turned towards his childhood friend. Shattered headphones sat in her open palms as tears finally began to roll freely down her face, no longer capable of restraining them. "What is happening to our team?" She sobbed, clutching the broken merchandise against her chest.

He was by her side in an instant, scooping her into his arms and resting a chin comfortingly against her head. "I don't know… Nora." If only he knew the words to comfort her as well.

"I don't know."

* * *

"She seemed… nice." Weiss let out a small smile at Blake's compliment as they watched Winter's ship fly off into the distance.

"She is. Although sometimes it takes her awhile to warm up to others. Not much unlike me, I suppose." Even Weiss could admit that she had been a little bit prickly towards the rest of her team at first. "Winter has always looked out for me. I admire her."

"It's good to have someone like that." Blake's voice sounded distant, probably thinking about someone from her White Fang days. Weiss didn't press the matter and together the two of them began to head back to their dorm room.

As they walked, the thought of the White Fang and the man that attacked the coliseum kept circulating inside Weiss' head. About what he had done to Jaune, and what he had used to do it. No one deserved to have them happen to them. She may not have always liked Jaune, but she especially never wished that kind of pain to be inflicted on him. "Blake… I've been thinking."

"Don't hurt yourself."

"I would expect that kind of talk from Yang!"

"Well, I am her partner." Blake gave a small laugh before gently nudging Weiss on the shoulder. "I'm sorry. What's up?"

"I just can't help but feel… partially responsible. For what happened." Blake stopped hard as those words left Weiss' mouth. The heiress continued for another step before turning to face her teammate.

"Weiss, you can't think like that." Blake's voice was stern, eyes leaving no room for disagreement. "You had nothing to do with that technology. You are not your family." It was the same way how Blake wasn't the White Fang.

"I know… I just-" She wasn't entirely sure how to put it. "I just feel like I should be able to do something. What happened today isn't fair."

"No, you're right. It isn't fair." Blake agreed, yellow eyes drifting to the floor. Weiss' followed a moment later and they both stood there in an awkward silence. "But maybe… there is a way for us to make this right."

"What do you mean?" Weiss glanced back up, once again meeting Blake's eyes. This time they shone with resolution.

"That technology was stolen from your father's company by an organization I used to work for." She began to elaborate, Weiss nodding to show that so far she was keeping up. "Banesaw couldn't have been working alone. Others must have helped him steal those weapons."

Weiss snapped her fingers as she finally began to see where Blake was going. "If you and I put our resources together-"

"-we might be able to figure out exactly who all was involved." Blake finished. Nothing they did now was going to bring back the use of Jaune's legs. However, Weiss would certainly sleep a little bit better at night knowing the true masterminds who orchestrated that show today were brought to justice.

It was the least they could do for their friend.

* * *

"Yang?" Ruby called curiously as she stepped into her team's dorm room.

"What up, sis?" Before she even managed to pass completely through the door's threshold, she was yanked the rest of the way in. It became increasingly difficult to breathe as her older sister squeezed the younger girl's face against her ample chest.

"Good. To see. You're alright." Ruby only managed to speak in intermittent gasps and couldn't help but notice Yang was holding her a little more tightly than what she normally did.

"Course I'm alright! Why wouldn't I be?" Yang ruffled her hair affectionately.

Ruby kept trying to get a glance at her face out of the corner of her eyes, but to no avail. "The text you sent me seemed kind of urgent. You said to come back as soon as I was done hanging out with Jaune."

"What? I can't just be missing the cute face of my adorable little sister?" Ruby sucked in a huge breath and inflated her cheeks in the biggest pout she could muster.

"Yang…" She drawled, urging her to be honest.

"Alright, alright." Yang relented, grip around her neck loosening slightly. "I was just wondering how it went was all. Did you tell him?" At the sudden question, Ruby felt the tops of her ears burn and mouth form an odd zigzag pattern. As she ground the tip of her heel into the carpet, she gave an affirmative nod. "And… you don't regret that, right? I didn't push you into something you weren't sure about, did I?"

"W-what? No!" Ruby pulled away from Yang in disbelief, finally managing to break free as she turned to look up at her. "I wanted to do this Yang. I want to be there for Jaune. You just… you helped give me the push I needed to make it happen."

The momentary indecision in Yang's eyes vanished so quickly, Ruby almost thought she imagined it. "That's good. Just making sure."

"You're a great sister, Yang." Ruby stepped closer, wrapping her in a hug, one much more gentle this time. "I wouldn't have been able to be so optimistic for Jaune today if not for you."

"Thanks, Rubes." Yang returned the hug, placing the palms of her hands on Ruby's back. For a second, it actually felt like they were having a sweet, sisterly moment. "So… did you guys make out?"

And then Yang ruined it.

* * *

Jaune's eyes fluttered open as consciousness returned.

Sleep was all but an impossibility for him because every time he finally seemed to nod off it seemed like it was rudely interrupted. No matter what he just couldn't get comfortable. Shifting his whole body was a chore in and of itself seeing as he had to manually move his legs just to slip further in or out of the itchy hospital blanket.

Which he seemed to have to do about every five minutes. One minute it was freezing in the little room they had him cramped in. The next and he was having hot flashes. Who the Hell regulated the temperature in this place? Despite this, he had finally managed to find what seemed to be the sweet spot, neither too warm nor too cold and it seemed like sleep would at last be able to take him.

Only to now have some insistent creaking noise droning on and on without stop. Just what in the world was that and where was it coming from? His ears twitched as they tried to locate the source, and if possible, a way to stop it. After several seconds of this, however, it became apparent that the noise wasn't coming from around him… but rather _from_ him.

Once he realized this fact, it clicked into place that it was his very own mouth making this nasty, almost frog-like groan that at first he had mistaken for a creak. And if he didn't know any better, he would say it sounded like he was in unbearable pain.

Just as that idea took hold, it finally registered: His whole back lit up like it was on fire. A yelp escaped his lips and he leaned forward in one rapid motion. The IV line attached to his arm pulled with the motion and snapped tight as it held firm to the stand next to his bed. Hot tears burned his eyes, but through them he took notice of the needle stuck into his vein. The translucent tube was conspicuously empty and he followed it up to the IV bag to find it much the same.

The pain medication was out, and the effects were very noticeably wearing off.

He opened his mouth to call for someone but failed to make any kind of sound that even remotely resembled a word. The inside of his mouth and back of the throat was dry, so much so it hurt. Aside from the pained moans, it would be impossible to communicate verbally.

What was he supposed to do to get someone's attention? Was there some kind of help button? If he even hit it, would someone even come? There was no clock in this room, but the sun had set hours ago and the moon now shone brightly through the window. It had to easily be past midnight.

As he stared out the window, the door clicked open. Before he could turn his head, something whizzed through the air before gently plopping down on his gut. A small grunt snuck out between the otherwise imperceptible noises he was making. He glanced down, catching fragments of moonlight reflecting off a clear plastic bottle… and the water inside.

Desperately, he fumbled with the bottle, tearing the cap off and putting it to his lips like life depended on it. "Thirsty?" A scratchy, unfamiliar voice asked as the water slammed against the back of Jaune's throat. Globs of the refreshing liquid pooled down the wrong tube and he sputtered, spitting water everywhere and spilling more of it over himself.

As he coughed and heaved, the man who had tossed him the water stepped into the moonlight, pulling up a chair next to Jaune's bed that he plopped down in. He didn't look like anyone Jaune knew, yet he certainly wasn't a doctor. At least, if the smell of alcohol and urine was anything to go by.

The blonde's nose wrinkled just having the stench of this man in such close proximity. Even so, he gave the man a polite smile. "Thanks. You saved my life." His voice was hoarse and barely recognizable, but at least he could enunciate again. He took another sip of water, this time much more slowly, savoring the cool liquid.

"Wouldn't be the first time today." The man pulled out a flask and took his own swig, although it most definitely wasn't water he was drinking. Jaune's eyebrows furrowed at his words, but before he could think much more on them, another flash of pain seared up and down the entirety of his back.

"Could you get a nurse for me?" He tried miserably not to let the pain leak into his voice, but there was just no hiding on much he was truly in.

"Yeah, I could." Not that it seemed to spur the man into action any quicker as he slowly lowered the flask. "But first, you and I need to have a little talk."

"A talk?" What was so important that they had to talk at this hour?

The man simply nodded. "You know who I am?" To this, Jaune shook his head. "The name's Qrow."

Qrow? Hmm… Qrow? Through the haze of pain, Jaune's brain slowly began to connect the dots, until all at once it clicked. Eyes widened in surprised as he let out a small gasp. "You're Ruby's uncle."

"The one and only." Qrow took a deep bow, spilling some of his liquor onto the floor in the process. He let out a small moan of displeasure before taking another swig of the slightly more empty container.

"So what is this? Some kind of fatherly intimidation?" If it was, it was actually kind of working. Drunk as the guy was, and at this time of night, who knew what he might do to him? Jaune had hoped he would have a little more time before he finally got this talk. He'd only just started dating Ruby a few hours ago, after all.

"Heh, no… this isn't anything like that." Qrow must have found it funny as he gave a small chuckle. Jaune wasn't sure whether it would be appropriate to join him with a nervous laugh of his own or just remain quiet. Seeing as it hurt to breathe, he was going to stick with quiet.

"If I was going to intimidate you, I would've walked in here carrying my scythe and with a hood pulled over. Make you think I was Death himself." Thank whatever God there was he hadn't done that. Jaune might have actually died on the spot from the fear alone. "Make some kind of empty threat, to be enacted on the condition that you hurt Ruby and make her cry."

Qrow took another swig. "Here's the thing about that, though. The sad truth of the matter is, no matter what kind of malicious torture I would loom over your head, in the end it wouldn't do any good. As you are now, the only way this relationship with Ruby is going to end is with you hurting her."

For a brief moment, Jaune forgot his pain. Qrow's words drowning out everything else in the world. "You know what's even worse? It's not even going to be your fault. Thing is, you'll be hurting really bad too. That's just the way these things go. So no… I'm not here to idly threaten you for something that's going to inevitably happen. I'm simply here to make a small request. Think of it as paying me back for saving your life."

Jaune wanted to refute him, tell him that he was wrong. There was no way he would ever hurt Ruby. He just wanted to make her happy, see her smile. Yet the strangely somber tone of the drunken man was almost hypnotizing and Jaune could only nod for him to continue.

"Just… end it quickly. Once you see how much pain you're putting her through, don't try and drag it out. She doesn't deserve that." Once he said that, Qrow stumbled back to his feet. "That's all. I'll get you that nurse now."

"I-I won't let it come to that!" Jaune called after him, trying his hardest to sound resolute through the pain. "I'll get the use of my legs back… and then I won't ever have to hurt Ruby in that way. I pro-"

"Don't make promises you can't keep, kid." Qrow cut him off, gesturing to his legs. "Especially when it's not just your legs, but your bladder too. I'll let the nurse know to bring you a change of garments and a new sheet as well."

Jaune's eyes widened as he whirled to look down between his legs. It was almost impossible to tell with what light he had, but there was unmistakably a part of the sheets darker than the rest. With trembling hands, he reached forward and touched down, feeling what his legs hadn't been able to perceive. He had thought the smell of urine had been coming from Qrow… when in reality…

Tears welled up in the corner of both eyes as he began to shake his head back and forth, trying to deny it. "Don't sweat it, kid. It's more common in cases like yours than you'd think. Although it might take some getting used to." There was no small amount of pity in Qrow's voice as he stopped one last time at the door.

"Just please, remember what I asked."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** A more all over the place chapter this time around, with like five perspective shifts.

The sections with Pyrrha are playing out more or less how Canon did, but hopefully with enough differences to make it worth reading. Things will go differently for her, what with the ripples and all that good stuff. As for exactly how different, well... I'll let the fic do the talking in regards to that. Meanwhile, Blake and Weiss are now on the case! Wasn't much to their part but it was important for future dynamics.

And then there's Qrow. I tried writing him simply as a realist, but it seems I have a hard time doing so without making characters come across as assholes instead. I had planned to write Yang as the optimist, kind of always trying to push Ruby forward and to not doubt what she was doing. That seems kind of ironic now, seeing as where Volume Three decided to leave Yang at the end.

Finally, since this chapter ended on a slightly disturbing tone... have a silly omake written by Goose Attack to cheer you up!

* * *

 **Omake**

 _Written by Goose Attack_

* * *

"Ruby? What exactly are we doing here?" questioned Weiss, staring blankly at her leader. Weiss took a look around the room, noting that all but the "J" of Team JNPR was also here, as well as Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch, along with that dirty, shifty druncle of Ruby's, Qrow. Ruby was practically dancing in place, looking over something on her scroll, as she mumbled under her breath.

"Alright! Everyone! I have called you all here for the grand unveiling! These past few months I've been working extra hard on something for my Jaune, and today, the fruits of my labor of love will be unveiled!" Ruby announced, eyes closed, pointing dramatically to the sky. There was an awkward silence, and eventually Ruby cracked an eye open to see her audience was less than enthused. Noticing Weiss' eye twitching (more than normal, at least), she decided to continue. "To help Jaune continue his dream of being a great Huntsman, despite his setback, I've created the ultimate in Handicapable hardware! I present, the GIANT UNSTOPPABLE NEURO DRIVE AURA MACHINE, or G.U.N.D.A.M.!" With that last shout, Ruby pressed a button on her scroll, and with a bang, a giant tarp fell to the ground, revealing the latest brain-child from the weapons obsessed speedster. Everyone gathered craned their heads up, then up some more, as they took in the behemoth of metal that stood before them.

"How did we not notice this beforehand?" Blake deadpanned. A good question, considering the G.U.N.D.A.M. stood almost 17 meters tall. It was shaped like a man, and was mostly white, with red on the bottoms of the feet. The torso was blue, with a large green gem in the center, set in a gold circlet. The shoulder armor was red, with blue tops. The left arm was covered with some kind of shield, mostly white, with a red and yellow top, that tapered into a point, with two yellow fins protruding from the sides of the tip. It had two wings, spread wide. To top it off, the right arm held a giant gun, with twin barrels. As everyone stared blankly at this, Jaune's voice suddenly boomed out.

"Ruby? I'm really not sure about this…I mean, I can barely control my wheelchair. Putting me in the pilot seat of a giant death machine sort of sounds like a bad idea." That got everyone's attention, and Blake nudged Yang forward.

"This is...great…Rubes, but this seems a little…excessive?" At this, Yang turned towards Blake and received a vehement nod in return. "Yeah, excessive. Don't you think you went a little overboard?"

"Overboard? Are you kidding? It only has two machine guns mounted on the shoulders…and two laser swords…and the Twin Buster Rifle. I wanted to add a lot more machine guns and missiles, but it ended up with heavy arms. So, I decided to just maximize the output from the Buster Rifle to compensate for there being less fun stuff." Ruby explained.

"Miss Rose, what exactly is…the maximum output?" Ozpin asked, taking a slow sip from his coffee mug. As soon as he finished the question, Jaune's voice was heard once again, and then all was lost in a flash of light.

Let it be known, that when the last thing you hear is "Oops", before being consumed in light, people tend to panic. Eventually, the dust settled as the air cleared once again, allowing the results to be seen. As one, their collective jaws dropped at the smoking crater that was once the west side of Beacon Academy. Everyone turned their heads back to Ruby, who reacted like a puppy who knew she did something bad. She grinned nervously, poking her index fingers together.

"Maybe…maybe a little excessive?"


	4. Chapter 4

Beta: Jefardi

* * *

 **Falling Down**

 _Chapter Four_

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this today, Jaune?"

Ren didn't mean to sound skeptical as he pushed the rickety, old wheelchair into the small hospital room, but it was kind of hard not to be. "It's only been three days since your accident. No one will blame you if-"

"No! I'm getting out of this damn room today if it kills me." Jaune huffed with indignation, crossing both arms and giving Ren a stern glare that left no room for arguments. "It's been way too long since I've breathed in actual fresh air. And I want to eat in the actual cafeteria. Not some garbage they scoop to me on a tray."

"The hospital food is actually quite hygienic. It's packed with all kinds of-" Ren stopped mid-sentence as Jaune's glare became slightly more pronounced. He gave a tired sigh. "Very well. But try not to overindulge. We don't want to upset the schedule you've managed to create for your bowel and bladder relief."

Jaune's face twisted in a complicated expression. He was clearly displeased with the situation, whether at himself for still not regaining control over his lower extremities or otherwise, Ren couldn't tell. "Fine." He sighed with resigned defeat. "I won't go overboard with the food. Just please get me out of here."

Ren gave a short but pleased smile. "You're the boss."

At those words, the strange frown disappeared from Jaune's face like they had never even been there, replaced instead by a cocky grin. "You got that right! Speaking of which, you brought what I asked for, right?"

"Indeed." Ren pulled off the small backpack he brought with him, unzipping it to pull out a set of Jaune's standard clothing.

"Sweet. No more hospital gown for me." Jaune threw the hospital blanket off his body with a gusto and rotated his hips. The frown returned when his legs didn't automatically go with them. Another frustrated sigh escaped his lips as he placed both hands around the calf of right leg. With a small heave he flipped the leg over the side of the hospital bed. Then he repeated the process with the other, allowing both legs to dangle over the edge.

"You took your pain medication already, right?" Ren asked quickly, taking notice of the detached IV bag that sat unused next to his bed. Jaune had switched to taking pills yesterday and so far they seemed to be doing that job. Ren just wished Jaune wasn't in such a rush to get through this, like he was trying to prove a point.

"Yes, mom!" He drawled sarcastically, a bit more bite than usually present in his leader's voice. Ren didn't note this observation aloud, this time or the times previous. However, it was becoming a habit lately of Jaune's as he was more apt to lash out then previously. For now with all things considered, it was probably better to just let it slide.

He placed the neatly folded clothes down next to Jaune as he undid the straps around the back of the hospital gown. Ren then turned around to give Jaune his privacy as the whole thing came undone and he pulled it off. The shuffling of clothes reached his ears as Jaune set about dressing himself.

After several short seconds, silence reigned. Then a small grunt of frustration, followed quickly by another one. It was only after a couple more that Ren raised a fist to his mouth and cleared his throat. "...What?" Jaune asked despite surely already knowing what was coming, if the humiliation in his voice wasn't enough of a giveaway.

"Would you… like help?" He still had yet to turn around, trying to maintain what little of Jaune's dignity that he could, not that it was to much avail.

"No." Jaune deadpanned quickly, and Ren was almost prepared to let it end at just that. "But it doesn't look like I got much choice. Just try not to laugh?"

"I won't." Ren meant that too as he turned around and faced his leader. The blonde was adorned with his favorite hoodie, but everything the waist down was still completely bare. With an embarrassed tint in his cheeks, Jaune held up a pair of white underwear.

"I can't get my legs up high enough while holding my underwear at the same time." He grumbled, almost inaudibly. It probably would've been easier for Jaune if he had kept his legs up on the bed instead of leaving them to dangle. Ren would mention that to him later, though.

"I've got it." He stepped forward, grabbing the underwear and crouching down in front of the blonde. He slid them over his ankles and pulled them halfway up the calves before Jaune grabbed them and continued to slip them on. As he did, Ren grabbed the jeans in preparation to do it once more.

"Hey Ren, I need you to level with me. Be honest." Ren stopped hard, nearly dropping the pants as wide, magenta eyes looked up into serious blue.

"Y-you have to ask it now?" As in, immediately after just helping you put your underwear on now?

Jaune's eyebrows furrowed and he gave a resolute nod. "I need to know. I can't wait any longer." The complete and utter no-nonsense way in which he said those words left Ren speechless and the only thing he could do in response was nod. "Is… Pyrrha mad at me?"

"Oh!" Ren let a breath he didn't know he was holding as relief washed over him. "That's all you wanted to know." He seriously felt like he might fall over as all the muscles in his body relaxed.

Jaune quirked an eyebrow in confusion. "Of course that's what I want to know. It's been three days and she hasn't come to see me once. You and Nora haven't mentioned her either. I've been trying to figure out what's been going on but nothing makes sense except her being mad at me. What the heck did you think I was going to ask?"

"Just… nevermind." Honestly, he had been too scared to even try and guess what Jaune could've asked. "Pyrrha's not mad at you… I don't think."

"You sure?" He had just said he wasn't sure, hadn't he? "I mean, maybe she's angry that I took such an insane risk and tried to fight Banesaw guy by myself? Or you don't think she might be upset at me for hooking up with Ruby, do you?"

"Jaune, I don't think it's any of that." Ren placed a hand on Jaune's still bare knee in an effort to calm him. "You did the best you could in the situation you were put in. Pyrrha doesn't doubt that for a minute, nor would she be angry about it. And there's no way she would be mad about you and Ruby. Don't you remember how it was Pyrrha who convinced you to ask her to the dance? She's also the one that arranged all that weapon practice between the two of you. I'm sure Pyrrha's thrilled you two finally figured it out."

"What is it then?" Jaune threw his hands in the air, yet Ren could only share in his frustration.

"I wish I knew…" He shook his head, not sure how else to answer. "She seemed really out of it and confused the last time I saw her… she wasn't herself, that's for sure. Ever since she's been avoiding me and Nora. I know she's still somewhere here on campus, but frankly speaking, I don't think she'll open up to either of us. The one she's most likely to open up to… is you."

Jaune gave a slow nod as he seemed to turn Ren's words around in his head. "Well, in order to do that I'll have to find her first." That was certainly easier said than done. Ren honestly couldn't predict how Pyrrha was going to react if she saw him in a wheelchair either.

Yet right now it didn't feel like they had much choice but to try. "Leave finding her to me and Nora. We'll text you once we know where she's at."

"Thanks, Ren. I can always count on you." The two men shared a small smile. It wasn't much, but Jaune being able to at least move around again had to be good for their team.

"Now can you hurry up and help me put my pants on?"

* * *

"Greetings, Miss Rose." Ruby gave a small start at the headmaster's voice, having not heard his approach at all.

She turned away from the door to Jaune's private room to see Ozpin only about five steps away, cane held suspended in the air. She eyed the man wearily. While she had at once held Ozpin in high esteem, finding his position and the very air about him absolutely stunning, recent events had begun to make her question all that.

"I heard Mister Arc is finally going to get out of his room today. He must certainly be looking forward to that." Ozpin stood next to Ruby, turning his body towards the door across from them and placing the bottom of his cane against the tiled ground with a soft click.

"I would be too given what he's been through." Ruby repeated the line Yang had told her to say if she met any of the staff who inquired about Jaune. His treatment the first night of his stay had been horrifying and made Ruby tremble with rage just thinking about it.

The nurse who had been assigned to his room had never once come to check on him. His IV bag was never refilled and his body hadn't even been properly equipped, leaving him without certain necessities such as a catheter. Jaune had been so embarrassed the next day he couldn't even look at Ruby, despite how she urged that not only wasn't it his fault, but it was perfectly understandable. She didn't think anything less of him.

"We are still looking into the… 'incident' regarding Mister Arc's first night stay in our medical facility." Ruby kind of wished Yang had given her a stronger word to replace 'incident' with. That was far too mild a way to put it. "The nurse on duty that night had checked in, even been with the doctor immediately after surgery." Ozpin continued in a neutral tone. "However, after the doctor left she was never seen again. She is still missing."

"Wait… what?" This was the first Ruby had heard of this. "What do you mean "missing"? Did she not tell anyone where she was going?"

"That's just it. The doctor recalls her being unnaturally mute the whole time he was in her presence. At the time, he had just assumed it was in sympathy for Mister Arc, but now we believe there may be more to this than originally thought. Either way, rest assured, we are looking into the cause of this malpractice. No one should have had to suffer more than Mister Arc already had."

Ruby twisted her heel against the tile, face scrunching in a pout. She hadn't known all of that. Was the nurse okay? What if someone had done something to her to get back at Jaune? It wouldn't be completely absurd a thought, especially considering he was partially responsible for screwing up someone's plans. Even so. "You still didn't have to say all that about him having to give up on his dreams." There was also the fact that no one from her team had seen Pyrrha since Blake and Weiss had left his office, but she didn't bring that up.

"You're right." Ozpin adjusted his glasses. "However, while what I said may have been uncalled for, I do want to stress the possibility that Mister Arc's career may be at an end." Ruby sucked in a breath to rebut him before he continued. "There will be a panel to decide this before the end of the week. It is unfortunately not only up to me, or Mister Arc would be fast-tracked to the most optimal help he could receive."

If it wasn't up to Ozpin, who was it then? Ruby supposed she just didn't understand how everything worked behind the scenes. Hearing that Ozpin was on Jaune's side did give her some reassurance, however. It also made her feel guilty for having been so mad at him before.

"No one wants to see Mister Arc one day on his feet again more than myself. I saw something special in him, much like I did with you, Miss Rose. To see him have to quit, it would be a great loss to the Hunter community and all of Remnant. This is why I asked for you to continue believing in him. There is truly a remarkable bond you two share… one that could give birth to even a miracle."

"..." Ruby didn't even know what to say. She had so many things prepared for when she next saw Ozpin, yet everything he said went completely against all her expectations. Silver eyes turned to the boots on her feet, hands gripping at the black skirt tightly. "...Sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for." Ozpin tapped his cane on the ground and turned to walk away. "While I had intended to pass this all on to him myself, might I ask that you do so for me? I think perhaps he will find it more comforting to hear from his cute girlfriend."

"Y-yes!" Ruby nodded quickly, face turning a deep shade of red. She still wasn't used to being called Jaune's girlfriend, and every time she heard that word it made her heart flutter. Fortunately for her, Ozpin didn't turn around to see how flustering an effect his words had and was already strolling down the hallway. Just as he turned the corner, the door in front of her clicked open.

 _Thud_

"Ow!" Jaune grunted after crashing the side of his wheelchair into the doorframe. Ren stood behind him, looking like he was nurturing an impending headache.

"I will push it for you, Jaune. There's no need to do it yourself." He attempted to grab the handles on the back of Jaune's chair only to have them swatted away.

"I got it, I got it." He insisted, backing the chair up and turning it slightly. He then gave the wheels another push, propelling it forward...

 _Thud_

...and hitting the frame once again. "Don't you say a word." Jaune pointed back at Ren, whose mouth was tucked in a thin line.

"Let me help!" Ruby dashed forward, seemingly startling both men.

"Ruby!" Jaune attempted to roll his chair backwards but was too slow as she grab either side of the armrests, rotating the chair ever so slightly.

"There you go." She grinned brightly, and before she skipped back to make room for him to go through, she placed a quick peck on his cheek.

"...Thanks." Jaune mumbled almost too quietly to hear, face turned down and staring at the space between his feet. He rotated the wheels, this time making it past the door without issue.

"I hope you don't mind that I came to see you?" Ruby pushed a strand of hair behind her ears, looking down at Jaune hopefully with a quivering smile on her lips. "I just figured… maybe, I could push you around today? Let you build up your strength? I'll go as slow or as fast as you want. And anywhere you want! Just say the word." Her gaze shot up and made contact with Ren's magenta eyes for a brief second. He looked hesitant, clearly unsure how Jaune would react.

Ren was probably the one who had spent the most time with Jaune these past few days, able to offer him assistance from one guy to another, something Ruby wasn't quite capable of. So he was the one most accustomed to the changes in Jaune's mannerisms, however slight. One of those being his inflated stubborn streak.

"That sounds… fun." Jaune finally relented, causing both of the other teens to release a breath neither knew they'd been holding. He certainly didn't sound as enthusiastic as she would've hoped, but at least he was still willing to let her do something to help him. Which was more than she could've hoped.

"Yay!" Ruby skipped around to behind his chair and grabbed both of the handles. "Where do you wanna go first?"

"Well…" Jaune put a finger to his chin and seemed to think about it for a second. "I could kill for a real breakfast, now that I think about it." His response caused Ruby to giggle. He'd wanted nothing more than to have Beacon's rather luxurious cafeteria food since he'd woken up. A fact he didn't let anyone forget.

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Ruby gave a mock salute and began to push, only to meet some slight resistance as Jaune clamped down on the wheels. She looked down at him curiously, only to find his gaze instead locked on Ren.

"You'll let me know as soon as you find her, right?" He without a doubt was asking about Pyrrha. Ruby couldn't understand why she would abandon him now of all times. She might have even been angry about her sudden disappearance, but if she had learned anything after that small talk with Ozpin, it was to try and get the whole story first.

Ren pulled out his scroll and held it in the air for emphasis. "I have your speed dial ready in case I even so much as catch a glimpse of her."

"And when you do, I'll have us there before you can even blink." Ruby puffed out her chest with confidence. Pyrrha wouldn't have even the smallest chance of getting away. She took her speed as a point of pride, after all.

"You two are the best." Jaune nodded appreciatively before sending Ruby an apologetic look. "Sorry, we can go now." Ruby didn't need to be told twice and this time pushed the chair without resistance. Ren stayed behind, in order to give the two of them time alone together or because he had a little more business in Jaune's room, she didn't know. She appreciated being able to spend some time with just the two of them either way.

"Is this too fast? Or too slow?" Ruby peeked down, trying to look over the top of Jaune's head to get a glimpse of his face. Both hands lay crossed in his lap and thumbs twiddled intermediately as she pushed.

"This is fine." Jaune sounded normal at least when he said that. She honestly still didn't know much about what Jaune felt about his current condition. Was he angry? Was he in pain? Most times he seemed to be like his same old, goofy self, which was comforting. She just couldn't help but wonder if most of that was an act? And if it was, did he only do it because he wanted to appear strong as her boyfriend? Ruby wouldn't know unless she asked him, but she had no idea how to even broach the subject.

"Ruby, look out." Jaune didn't quite shout that in a panic, but the word choice was enough for Ruby to stop hard, violently jolting Jaune in the seat and causing his head to whip forward before flailing back.

"I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I just got lost in thought!" Ruby quickly began sputtering out apologies as she checked Jaune over to make sure he wasn't in pain, before glancing to see what she almost ran into.

Or in this case: Who.

"Hey Ruby!" Emerald Sustrai held up a single hand and gave a bright smile in greeting. If she was at all upset that Ruby had nearly just collided Jaune into her, she did an excellent job not showing it.

"Em!" Ruby greeted back excitedly before tilting her head and quirking a lone eyebrow. "What... are you doing here?" She and Jaune were still in the hospital wing. And as far as she knew none of Emerald's teammates had been injured during the attack the other day. And seeing as she was from Mistral, she didn't likely know anyone else who was in here.

"I actually came looking for you." Emerald pointed right at Ruby, earning a look of surprise.

"Me?" Ruby parroted, pointing up at her own face.

"Yep. I came to say farewell." Emerald's bright smile dimmed. She reached one hand around her back, grabbing her other arm with it. "I had a lot of fun here at Beacon. I'm going to miss you."

"Oh that's right." Ruby's own surprise gave way to melancholy. "That's today, huh?"

"What's going on now?" Jaune looked between the two girls in confusion. Ruby didn't even realize that Jaune hadn't been filled in on what was going on with the rest of Vale following that attack on the Amity Coliseum.

"They canceled the tournament." Emerald stated bluntly. "After what that maniac did to you and the panic it almost caused, the council of Vale decided things were too dangerous to keep going. All of us from the other schools are being sent home."

"..." Jaune opened and closed his mouth, but it didn't look like he was going to be able to find the words to say.

"I'll miss you, Em. Maybe we'll see each other at the next one?" So Ruby quickly interjected. She was sad to have to see so many people leave. But there would always be another tournament and next time it would be them that got to travel to another school.

"I look forward to it." Emerald gave an exaggerated wink before turning back around and walking the way she came. Ruby waited for her to get a fair distance away before she once again began to push Jaune's chair, this time careful to keep an eye on her surroundings.

"Is this… my fault?" It took Ruby several seconds to realize it was Jaune that said that. At first, she almost thought she had imagined the words. When she looked down at him, however, she found his blue eyes gazing up at her, inquiring for an answer.

"What do you mean?"

"The tournament." He specified. "Is it being canceled because I wasn't able to stop Banesaw? Because I was too weak to do anything?"

"N-no! Why would you think that?" Ruby slowed to a stop, looking down at Jaune in disbelief.

"What am I supposed to think?" Jaune ran a hand through his blond hair and then down the side of his face, voice beginning to fill with heat. "That guy kicked my ass and everyone panicked. They probably thought we were all about to be murdered execution style and I only ended up making him look like even more of a badass."

"The people had already started to panic before you could do anything." Ruby placed both hands on his shoulders, squeezing tightly in an effort to convey to him how much she meant what she was saying. "Jaune… you were the only one to get back up after he broke in there. The only one in a group that had Pyrrha Nikos in it. It's because of what you did that things didn't get worse."

Jaune continued to hold her gaze, almost like he was looking for some kind of crack in her defense. Some reason to not believe what she was telling him. His shoulders shook and breathing was erratic. Ruby didn't pull back from him in the slightest, determined to be his pillar of support. This was why she confessed to Jaune in the first place. So she could be the one to help him through this.

Finally, his breathing came back under control and he slowly began to nod. "Okay… alright." He spoke in a breathless whisper, as if he had just run a marathon. One of his hands found hers and he squeezed it tightly. "Thank you, Ruby. I don't… I don't know what I would do without you. Especially since I don't have Pyrrha right now."

Ruby gave a small smile, leaning down and placing a brief but powerful kiss on Jaune's lips. "I'll always be here for you, Jaune. Even when you're able to walk again, I'm not going anywhere."

"When I'm able to walk again…" Jaune looked distracted as he said that and appeared to mull the words over in his head. "You really think I'll be able to?"

"I know you will." Ruby encouraged, patting his shoulder once more for emphasis before switching her grip back to the handles. "For now, just relax and let me be your legs. That breakfast you want isn't going to eat itself." Jaune gave the smallest ghost of a laugh and when he turned around to face forward, it was with a smile on his face. Even so, it was clear that he was starting to have some doubts.

Which just meant she was going to have to stay optimistic enough for the both of them.

* * *

"Cinder. We've got a problem." Emerald was already talking before she completely entered the room, throwing the door open to rush inside.

"Yeah, I'll say." Mercury shoved one of his many pairs of boots into the bag of luggage he had placed on his bed. "We've lost our place to stay. It's going to be pretty hard to pull off any kind of operation in Vale when we're getting deported back to Mistral."

"Mercury, enough of the whining already." Cinder sounded absolutely bored as she gave that order. Even so, the silver-haired man was quick to shut his mouth. Both of them knew better than to go against Cinder, even when she said it in a tone that was almost begging for back-talk. "I already told you. One of Roman's old associate's has… _generously_ agreed to put us up until we finish with our plans."

"We wouldn't need to change locations at all if that stupid animal had actually done its job and killed Pyrrha Nikos discreetly like we hired him to do. But _no…_ He had to go and make a big spectacle. And still fail." Mercury grumbled under his breath, either too quiet for Cinder to hear or she just otherwise ignored him.

Instead, she turned a burning yellow eye on Emerald. "Now what is this _problem_ that's got you so out of sorts?"

"Yes, ma'am." Emerald straightened out automatically. "I thought it was weird that we hadn't heard any news about that Arc kid. It occurred to me that Ozpin might be covering up the news about his death so I went looking… and well, he's alive."

She waited for Cinder to give some kind of response. Whether that be to explode in anger or sit there and fume in silent rage, most things were within the realm of expectation. Instead, Cinder didn't react outwardly at all, instead rhythmically tapping the heel of her shoe against an already packed luggage bag. "I'm aware."

"What?" If Emerald hadn't been staring right into her eyes, she would've had to double-take. She didn't understand at all. That kid had royally messed up their plans, and Cinder did not take setbacks lightly. That was why they had sent that midget, who had been posing as their fourth teammate, to kill him in the first place.

"My decision to have him snuffed out was… rash." Cinder admitted after several moments of thought. "I've perhaps brought unnecessary attention to Neo by having her dispose of that nurse and take her place. She was going to take care of him that night… but that irritating Qrow had posted himself outside his room. He's getting wise, not taking any more chances with possible targets."

"Roman's lackey can just take on another form." Mercury zipped his bag shut. He then plopped onto the ground and spun to face Cinder. "You said it yourself. That kid might be dangerous. He took a direct hit from those SDC weapons and kept going."

"That is indeed what I said and even thought too." Cinder nodded along to what they were saying, but it was clear she knew more than she was letting on. "Let's just say, in light of that setback, I took a look at his transcripts and came to a most… _revealing_ conclusion. The important part of the matter is, he's no threat to us; not before and certainly not now. There's no reason to waste any more valuable resources on him. Especially not when our options have become so much more limited."

"So we're just going to leave him?" Emerald scoffed in disbelief. A single glare from Cinder silenced any other protest she might have had.

"He's beneath us. We're moving on and have much more important things to deal with. Such as getting out of here and to our new home without raising suspicion. Are we clear?" Cinder's tone left no room for argument. Both Emerald and Mercury nodded along, eyes downcast. Emerald didn't like it. However, if Cinder said Jaune Arc wasn't a threat, then she was probably right. What was he going to do anyway?

After all, he was stuck in that chair.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** So the evil trio make their big appearance.

All things considered, this was a major setback for them. The story won't focus on them much, but it will check in on them from time to time. Mostly in a way to show how their plans are forced to alter now that they can no longer stay at Beacon and there is no tournament for them to crash. Towards the climax of the story they'll probably become more important. That'll be more to a different plot-line than the one following Jaune and Ruby, however. Their presence this chapter, however, hopefully answers that concern several of you pointed out in the last chapter.

Otherwise, not much else to say. Jaune's out a little earlier than what someone would normally be for this kind of injury, but I'm kind of assuming Aura is working a lot towards dulling his pain and healing everything outside his spine. Ren and Ruby continue to be his support and more on Pyrrha in the next chapter if everything goes as planned.


	5. Chapter 5

Beta: Jefardi

* * *

 **Falling Down**

 _Chapter Five_

* * *

Had walking always been so boring?

That is if you could even call being pushed around in a wheelchair _walking_. If anything, it felt more like he was a child again, stuck in the back seat of a car while mom drove him and his sisters to the grocery store.

Or worse, across the country to visit their grandparents. Jaune didn't have a problem meeting with grandma and grandpa. Quite the opposite, he loved them both and enjoyed spending time at their place. That didn't make the two-hour drive to get there any less boring, however.

After half an hour most of his other sisters would have either fallen asleep or tuned out the world with music from their headphones. This left him feeling alone, unable to do much else except rest his forehead against the window and stare across the same, rustic, scenery for the whole rest of the trip.

Which was pretty much all Jaune could do in this wheelchair. Sit here, confined to a seat and only able to watch as the scenery passed him by. Instead of endless stretches of farmlands racing across, it was an endless row of doors and adjacent hallways.

Sometimes there was the occasional face. Those were the worst. He couldn't stand the way they looked at him. Most of them tried to hide their pity behind fake smiles and warm words. They would say things such as "Sorry this happened to you, Jaune" or "Good work against that maniac" but he knew what they were really thinking. He could tell simply by the words they didn't say.

Not one of them told him "Get well soon" or asked "When will you be starting classes again?" because in their minds, he was already done. It was just like his parents all over again. Sure, they pretended to encourage him and his dreams, but then went and expected him to come crawling back after the first couple weeks.

These thoughts about his parents actually made him wonder how they were doing. Had they… been watching the tv during his match? Or maybe they were blissfully unaware that their only son had been crippled on national television, bringing nothing but shame to their once proud ancestral name? It seemed impossible that they wouldn't have found out by now. After all, four whole days had passed already.

He reached down, fingers gently brushing against the Scroll clipped to his belt. The communication device had been damaged somehow by Banesaw's gauntlets. It kind of made sense, they were SDC designed so maybe that was part of their intended purpose. Those things seemed oddly created for taking out people, rather than Grimm.

Regardless of what those weapons were for - Jaune didn't even want to get into all the possible conspiracy theories to begin with - his Scroll was no longer capable of making long range calls. Anything within Beacon was fine, but outside that he had no luck.

Of course, if he really wanted to get ahold of his parents, it would be as simple as borrowing Ruby or Ren's scroll.

Part of him wanted to call them, simply to let them know he was alright; if you could even call him that. Just to let them know he was awake and alive, then. The majority of him wanted no part of what that conversation would entail. In the end, they had been right. He was in over his head and had got shown that in one of the worst ways possible.

Even if his parents would never say it to his face, he would know it and they would know too: Because they had told him so. Which was ultimately why he didn't dare call them and deep down inside, was relieved they hadn't found another way to get ahold of him yet either. Despite the contradicting hurt that also caused, forced to wonder if they even cared about him.

And what about his sisters? The only reason he knew his Scroll didn't work outside Beacon was because he _had_ tried to call them. Most of his sisters had been supportive in his decision to become a Hunter, so he didn't have the same issue with calling them that he did his parents. Well, all of them except the eldest. She was the only one of their family who had been openly vocal against him trying.

In the end, though, he couldn't bring himself to really try and call them either. Sure he had tried at first. But when the opportunity arrived to borrow someone else's Scroll… he didn't take it. Why was that? What could possibly be holding him back from letting them know the truth?

As if he didn't already know the answer to that.

If he called them, if he talked to them, he would have to tell them what had happened. In his own words, he would have to explain that he couldn't feel his own legs. It was one thing, acknowledging that truth to Ruby, who was here with him to see it. But if he had to tell his family, his precious sisters that he was a paraplegic… it felt like he would be admitting defeat.

And if he admit defeat now, what did that mean for him and his dreams? He wouldn't have anything left to him. Pyrrha had already abandoned him. How much longer would it be before Ren, Nora, and Ruby did the same? If he didn't admit defeat, however. If he didn't give up… he had a shot to stop that from ever happening. Maybe even a shot at getting his partner back.

He just had to learn to walk again. That was all he had to do. Easier said than done, but Ruby seemed confident it could be. Which was more than he was able to do right now. "Ummm… Jaune?"

"What!?" He snapped before he even realized the one that called him out of his thoughts was the very same person he was just thinking about. Guilt immediately racked him as he turned and saw Ruby flinch back from his shout. He quickly rearranged his face from that of an annoyed scowl to one of apology. "Sorry, I didn't mean that. I just… haven't been getting much sleep."

Which was actually true. Ever since he had first woken up, sleep was becoming increasingly difficult. At first, he just assumed it was because of the pains and uncomfortable bed. After a while, he had begun to realize it was much more than that. He was constantly restless, being cooped up either in a bed or in his chair at all times.

He hadn't fully understood how active he had been until he suddenly wasn't able to be anymore. It was more than just getting up and walking between classes. There was the constant training too that was gone, from the spars with Pyrrha, his morning jogs with Nora, to standard strength training he and Ren did together; he had none of that.

This left him with far more energy than he knew what to do with. It used to be he would fall asleep the moment his face hit the pillow. Now when he laid down, his mind ran a mile a minute, never satisfied with how little he exerted himself that day. Even knowing this, that didn't make him feel any less awful for taking it out on Ruby.

Some boyfriend he was turning out to be.

A brief image of Qrow crossed his mind but he shook the thought loose. That old man didn't know what he was talking about. He would show him. With a forced smile and an upbeat tone, he tried to pretend his latest outburst had never even happened. "So what's up? I may have been spacing out there for a minute."

Whether Ruby knew he was putting on an act or not, his words had the desired effect as the stunned but hurt expression vanished from her face. It was replaced by a cheeky grin of her own and she pushed back a lock of hair behind one ear. "I just figured you would like to know we have arrived!" She gestured ahead of him with a grand sweeping motion and he turned to see they were in fact in front of the door to JNPR's room.

It was a long shot, but maybe Pyrrha had come back here? He didn't exactly know where else to look and she wasn't answering her Scroll. Which meant either she was outside of Beacon where his Scroll could no longer reach her, or she was deliberately avoiding his calls. Both ways hurt to consider, but he needed answers.

"Thanks, Ruby." He really did appreciate that she was willing to put up with him while he went all over, looking for his partner. She didn't have to do that. He would admit, at times it was pretty convenient having someone to push him around. While at first he had wanted to do it himself, he found out very quickly how tiring that got. Not to mention he didn't quite have down the intricacies of turning this damn thing.

"Not a problem." And she didn't seem to mind either. Rather, she seemed happy to be the one pushing him around all over the place. He supposed that was just part of who Ruby was. So long as she was able to help someone, she would be happy. It was that part about her he had been drawn to when they first met. It also felt like it was that part of her that was keeping him afloat.

"Well, here goes nothing." Jaune grabbed the wheels of his chair and rotated them, propelling him forward just enough to be within reach of the door. Once there, he unhooked his Scroll and held it up to the electronic lock. A successful beep signaled another still functioning part of the device and he swung the door open.

That joy he felt being able to get into his room gave way to disappointment as he realized it was empty. There was no sign of Pyrrha or that she had been here recently. With a frustrated sigh, he rolled into the room and simply took it all in as if for the first time. It felt like it had been years since he last been in here even though in reality it had only been a little more than half a week. It was both strange and a little humbling to think about how much could change in that short amount of time.

"Ren and Nora will find her in no time." Ruby stood just at the threshold of the room, watching him carefully. She did that a lot lately, stare at him like she was trying to figure him out. He wondered how much of his thoughts she was able to read and how much he was really hiding from her.

"I know." He struggled to turn the chair around, grunting in frustration when it at first didn't spin but instead rolled backward. Why was this thing so damn hard to maneuver? Was it just old or did he suck that much at using it? Finally, he managed to get it spun towards the door and rolled it forward.

 _Thud_

And right into the side of the door frame. "I got'cha." Ruby didn't laugh or even look exhausted by his constant inability to navigate through something as simple as door space. Instead, she turned him just enough to get through before giving him the room to get out. Once he was clear of the door, she skipped forward and shut it behind him. "So what now?"

That wasn't something he had really considered. This was the only thought he had for finding Pyrrha. Well, here and their rooftop where she always trained him. For some reason, it felt wrong to bring Ruby up there with him. He couldn't explain it, but somehow he just got the feeling he shouldn't do it. Of course, he wasn't exactly getting up there by himself in this condition.

Fortunately, before he had a chance to make any kind of decision, his Scroll went off, the sudden vibration and music from the device startling him. "Nora?" He held the device up to his ear as he answered.

"Jaune!" Which turned out to be a big mistake when his hyperactive teammate shouted into it. What was worse, she did it in a way that sounded like she had intended to whisper. He recoiled from the device before gingerly holding it a solid foot away. "I've found Pyrrha!" Nora continued to speak in that hushed shout, but he wasn't so much concerned about that anymore.

"What? Where?" He straightened up, shoulders tensing, and if his legs had been working he might have jumped to his feet. He could feel the slight tension from the chair as Ruby gripped the handles tightly, prepared to take him wherever it was he needed to be.

"I'm turning the tracking on Nora's Scroll on." Ren's voice cut in next, the volume much more appropriate. "Just follow it here. We'll make sure Pyrrha doesn't go anywhere and if she does, there's no way Nora will lose sight of her so just keep after it."

"I love you guys." He meant that from the bottom of his heart.

"We'll always have your back, fearless leader. No matter what." That was the last thing Nora said before disconnecting the call. A moment later and the scroll made a light ping as it began displaying Nora's location.

It was time to confront his partner.

* * *

Why did things have to change?

Pyrrha idly wondered this as she watched the first orange leaf fall from its tree, the wind swaying it back and forth before it came to rest on the pavement with a soft crinkle.

Everything had been going so well. She finally made friends. Had a leader, who may not have been the strongest, but whose heart was in the right place; someone she could follow without question. A normal life she could be content with. Only to have all that and more ripped away with a simple little snap.

She thought often about destiny. Both her own and that of others. She believed they were all placed on this planet to achieve something. No matter how small or insignificant, their lives meant something to the world. And now, she finally had the answer to her own destiny. She always knew that she was destined to be a Huntress and to protect the world. Somehow she just knew it.

Never before had she given thought to the consequences of having such a destiny. If she accepted this power… the power of the Fall Maiden, what would become of Amber? What would become of herself? Perhaps, most importantly, what did this mean for Jaune?

Had it been his destiny, to have his spine broken so she could have the push she needed to achieve her destiny? Was that all he was in the grand scheme of the world? Just a small pebble, a stepping stone for someone else to achieve greatness? If that was true, to Hell with destiny and to Hell with this power. She didn't want it if the cost was going to be her best friend's dreams and aspirations.

What she should go do is tell Ozpin exactly that. March right into his office, look into the glasses his eyes were always hidden behind and tell him she wasn't this world's puppet. She wasn't going to be strung along by fate if it was just going to callously disregard those she cared about.

So then why hadn't she done that already? Sure, she thought big, but when it came down to it, she wasn't going to do that any more than she was going to see Jaune of her own volition. If she saw him, she knew her will would crumble.

If she saw the price he had paid, all so she could complete her destiny… then how could she possibly run away from it?

"Hey, mind if I sit here?" Maybe there was no running away from it to begin with. Pyrrha realized this as she looked up at the sullen voice that called out to her.

For a while, she could only stare at his legs. In a way, they were like they always were. Dressed in blue jeans, that same tear in them as always. However, these legs no longer moved; not to shift awkwardly from side to side, nor anything else for that matter. What struck Pyrrha more, was the sad, lonely smile on her partner and leader's face.

Pyrrha knew the moment she saw that pained smile, it wasn't because of his legs. He was making that expression because of her. Because she had been avoiding him. "Jaune…" Pyrrha's voice choked on that one word as tears welled up in the corner of her emerald eyes.

Jaune let out a long, tired sigh as he rolled the chair forward, before turning it so he was looking out the same way she was. Once satisfied, he glanced into the distance and she saw Ruby standing next to a tree, just outside of earshot to give them their privacy but within view so she could run up if Jaune wanted her.

"You were the first person to ever believe in me, you know?" Jaune started talking again, looking down at her carefully for any kind of reaction.

"Ruby has always believed in you too." Pyrrha muttered this bitterly, before immediately regretting both the words and her tone. She didn't hate Ruby, she was actually fond of the younger girl, sometimes viewing her like one would a little sister. And she had noticed her crush on Jaune from very early. So Pyrrha had stomped out her own budding feelings for him to help Ruby pursue that romance, to apparent success if the rumors she heard were true.

"You're right." Jaune agreed, before taking a second to amend his thoughts. "It was always a little different, I guess. Whereas Ruby always believed in me, it always felt like it was in a way more… fantastical." It came out more of a question than as a statement. "Sometimes I think Ruby believes us to be these great legends from those fantasy novels we read. It's not a bad thing, even I like to believe we're similar to them." He paused again, this time to look at Ruby. The smile on his lips and look in his eyes was unlike any expression Pyrrha had ever seen him make. That disappeared, replaced by that look she knew intimately when he returned his attention to her.

"Whereas, I suppose the impression I always got from you… is that you believed in me for me. And you pushed me hard to become better, not just as a fighter but as a person too. Around you, I could always be myself." His face twisted, once again reflecting that pained expression Pyrrha hated so much and when he continued there was an undeniable tinge of anger. "I need that right now, Pyrrha. I can't… I can't keep this act up around Ruby forever. I want to be strong for her but how can I? I'm in a wheelchair. Maybe permanently."

"What do you want me to say about that?" Pyrrha slid away from him, stumbling up to her feet in the process. "I don't have any right to try and help you anymore. Jaune, you're in that wheelchair because of me!"

"W-what are you saying?" In contrast to her unnaturally shrill yell, his voice was barely above a whisper.

"The man that did this to you." She gestured to his legs, despite having no need to. "He was after me. It's all my fault that you're like this."

"That's… do you think I came looking for you to place the blame on your shoulders?" The heat returned again to his voice and there was a sharpness in his eyes she wasn't used to seeing. "I don't care about who's fault this is. I just want my own partner to quit avoiding me!"

"I'm avoiding you for your own good!" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ruby take a hesitant step towards them. The volume of their voices having undoubtedly become loud enough for her to hear now."I just don't want to hurt you anymore." Even knowing Ruby could hear, she continued in a tone that was almost pleading now.

"You already are." He shot back, those words causing her to recoil as if she'd been slapped. "I just want to feel normal, but how can I possibly do that if you're not here with me!?" He turned the chair to once again face her and she took another hesitant step back.

"This isn't something I want to do either, Jaune. I might not have a choice, however!" She didn't know what kind of change taking on the Fall Maiden's powers would have. It was possible she wouldn't even be her anymore.

"You're not even making sense!" Jaune rolled his chair closer. Pyrrha tried to take another step back but bumped into a pillar. "You're _the_ Pyrrha Nikos! You can do anything you set your mind too. Nothing on this world can force you to make a choice you don't want." Again he rolled closer.

"Just stop!" Pyrrha's voice cracked, emerald eyes widening and hand waving forward as if to ward him and his words off. The moment she made that gesture, she knew she'd made a mistake. It was exactly like what happened in the dorm room with Ren and Nora all over again.

In slow motion, a scene like something straight out of a horror movie unfolded in front of Pyrrha's eyes. The dark energy enveloped the metal spokes and bars on Jaune's wheelchair. He didn't even seem aware of what was about to happen, but he must have seen the shock on her face, because his own eyes widened in panic.

There was no chance for either of them to yell before his chair was hurtled into the air, taking him along with it. Five feet into the flight, the chair shifted forward with his weight and sent him tumbling out from it. Pyrrha couldn't possibly react in time to catch him as he flipped over...

 _Smack_

...and landed directly on the middle his back. A breathless gasp of air that could only have been meant to be a scream left his mouth. Meanwhile, his arms and chest convulsed, spasming unnaturally in contrast to his unmoving legs.

"Jaune!" It wasn't Pyrrha that called his name, no matter how much she wished it was. Rose petals burst around him as Ruby appeared over his body, crouching over him in a way that looked as if she was trying to shield him from further harm. When she looked up at her, Pyrrha could only see absolute horror and betrayal reflected in her normally optimistic silver eyes.

The sound of footsteps further down drew her attention above Ruby, to see Ren and Nora sprinting at them as fast as their legs would possibly take them. "I-I didn't mean to…" Pyrrha tried to defend herself, but her voice came out as barely even audible to her, let alone to them.

Her head shook back and forth as she tried to deny the reality of what was in front of her. Jaune had only wanted to talk to her. He had only wanted to see her again. So then why had it turned out like this?

She couldn't take it anymore, she couldn't be here a second longer.

"Pyrrha!"

"Wait!"

She ignored her teammates' calls as she fled, not once turning back around to see them.

There was no other choice now but to face destiny.

* * *

"Jaune, please talk to me. Say something, Jaune please." Ruby begged desperately as she cradled the blonde in her arms. His breathing was erratic, eyes squeezed tight, arms spasming at random moments before coming to a rest.

She couldn't stand seeing him like this. Why? Why would Pyrrha do this to him? Ruby thought she cared for Jaune just as much as she did. This… just didn't make any sense.

"Should I chase her?" Nora stopped short just next to Ruby, turquoise eyes glaring after where Pyrrha had run. It was so odd, seeing such a normally bubbly and optimistic person filled with such animosity. Ruby worried what she would do if she actually did manage to catch Pyrrha.

"No, our priority is Jaune." Ren dropped down next to his leader, trying to get a better look at his back. As gently as she could, Ruby turned him over so they could see the area he had hit when he fell.

"Ah, ah!" Jaune groaned in pain through clenched teeth as Ren lifted his hoody just enough to view the skin. Magenta eyes scanned for any additional injury and Ruby waited with baited breath for his assessment, just glad he somehow managed to remain so calm despite what just happened.

"I think… he'll be fine. His nerves are hypersensitive right now but aside from the pain, I believe his Aura protected him." Ren let the cloth fall back into place before stepping back enough to give Jaune room.

"So now I can go for Pyrrha?" Nora's feet twitched impatiently but again Ren shook his head.

"Just forget about her right now." There was an unnatural sharpness to his normally calm, collected voice. "Even if he looks fine to me, we should still get him back to the hospital wing."

"M… Ch-" Finally, Jaune began to enunciate more than just cries of pain. Whatever he said was too quiet for Ruby to hear, however.

"Hey buddy. Can you hear me?" Ren must have heard it too, leaning closer and placing a hand on Jaune's cheek. "We're going to get you help, okay? Just sit still a minute." Never had Ruby seen such myriad of expressions on Ren's face. What was once barely concealed frustration was now nothing but worry and concern. Was he always this expressive around his team?

"My chair," Jaune repeated, this time loud enough for them all to understand what he was saying. "I want my wheelchair." And his voice was getting stronger. With an almost desperate zeal, he began to force himself up, now open eyes glancing for his only reliable mode of transportation.

"I'll get it." Nora was quick to jog for where it had collapsed, still another ten feet further from where it had dropped him off. "Oooh…" Only for them to then hear her let out a moan that sounded like something Ruby would've made when she got caught tinkering with Ember Celica.

"What is it? Nora, what happened!?"

"H-hey, Jaune relax." Ruby had to struggle keep him from breaking free from her arms, his attempts becoming increasingly fraught. She glanced backward and immediately saw what Nora meant. His chair… had not survived the fall, parts of the frame bent and twisted, and one of the wheels popped clean off.

"No…" And apparently Jaune saw it too. "No, no, no, no!" With each subsequent no, his voice got louder and more wretched. "Fix it. Someone fix it."

Ren looked at the chair and then back at him, giving an audible gulp before he spoke. "Jaune… we can't-"

"Fix it! I need that chair!" Jaune cut him off, practically trying to throw himself forward and closer to the broken object. He would have succeeded if Ruby's hold on him wasn't so firm, but that seemed to only upset him further. She could barely restrain him as he flailed about in her grip before the earlier injury caused him to lock up.

Ruby hadn't realized how attached he'd already become to that wheelchair, for its destruction to cause him to go into such a frenzied panic. Could she really say it was a surprise, though? No, it made sense. That was Jaune's source of movement, the last bit of freedom he had to him right now.

"Please… I need my wheelchair. Please." Jaune gripped her arms tightly, tears beginning to roll down his cheeks in streams. She could feel her heart break, watching him reduced to such a miserable state all because of a thoughtless act.

"Jaune, just hang tight. Nora and I are going to get you another one. We'll find Goodwitch too. I bet you she can fix that one." Ren and Ruby shared just a brief look, but she knew without a doubt that he was entrusting his leader to her. And she had no intention of letting him down. Not a word passed between them before Ren skipped to his feet and sprinted down the pathway, Nora quick to match his pace. As they ran, Jaune's grip on Ruby tightened a little more and she looked back down at him.

"I'm sorry, Ruby. I'm sorry." He buried his face in her sleeve, voice muffled by her fabric. What exactly he was apologizing for she didn't know. Maybe for thinking he looked pathetic? Maybe he thought he was putting her through some big ordeal? She didn't know and frankly she didn't care, because he had nothing to be sorry for.

"It's okay, Jaune." She leaned down, planting a light kiss on the back of his blonde hair.

"It's okay."

* * *

Ozpin sipped at his coffee while going over the last of the paperwork involved in the incident report pertaining Jaune and his injury.

How many times had he gone over this now? One dozen? Two? Maybe more? It was a little unusual, for the headmaster to give such preference to one student's files over others. However, he felt particularly responsible for Jaune's injuries.

Especially having known about Jaune's falsified transcripts and choosing to accept him anyways. Ordinarily that might not be a problem. He was the headmaster and got to accept or deny whomever he wanted. Jaune, well he wasn't just another injury. He had been broken on national television, causing near worldwide pandemonium.

If one of their own Hunters could fall so easily to a simple terrorist, what did that say about their institution as a whole? That was exactly what the panel to decide Jaune's current enrollment and subsequent insurance wanted to find out, which meant they were already thoroughly looking into the young Arc boy. When they did find the truth - because they would find it - Ozpin needed to be as prepared as possible in order to protect Jaune.

"Professor!" So lost in the paperwork, he didn't even realize someone was riding up the elevator to his office until a weeping Pyrrha Nikos stumbled out the door.

"Miss Nikos!" He was on his feet in an instant, crossing the office to be by her side.

"I-I'll do it!" The moment he was up to her, she collapsed into him, gripping the front of his jacket like her life depended on it.

"I'm sorry?" For a second he didn't understand. For only a second. Then his brown eyes widened in realization behind his spectacles. She couldn't be serious, though. Not in this state. He had half-a-mind to tell her to wait longer on it before coming to a decision. He never got the chance as she looked up at him, emerald eyes puffy from crying but filled with unwavering resolve.

"I will be your Fall Maiden."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** Whew, so this was kind of a hard chapter to write.

Actually, this whole theme in general is a bit of a doozy and I kind of have to take it slow to make sure I can try and do the concept of coping with such a life-changing injury right. I've got a little bit of personal experience in recovering from an injury, but not in the magnitude I'm trying to write so I had to do a lot of research. In that regard, I would like to thank Gleam, who offered me very helpful advice on the subject in both reviews and over several PMs.

Jaune thought a little bit about his family this chapter and it is something I should address. Obviously, I don't want to overstuff this story with OCs. If I introduce Jaune's father, mother, and all seven of his sisters, this story becomes much more about all them and they kind of overwhelm the Canon cast with sheer numbers. Having said that, I can't just ignore them either. There's no way his family doesn't eventually come into the picture.

So, I will introduce one OC into the story in the way of Jaune's eldest sister. Those that read Spectrum kind of already know a little bit about her. However, since this story is also different than Spectrum, she won't be quite the same. Similar personality, but no crazy sword that possessed her. She'll have still become a Huntress (the only one of the sisters to do so in this version) and there will be a reason she is the only one formally introduced into the story. Jaune will have contact with the rest of his family, but I think that will just be implied so as not to get into all that.

Those that already know and like this OC; look forward to her introduction. Those that detest OCs and don't want them near your story... I hope you understand that I realistically have to include at least this one.


	6. Chapter 6

Beta: Jefardi

* * *

 **Falling Down**

 _Chapter Six_

* * *

 _Where am I?_

"Pyrrha! Pyrrha, are you alright?" Strange voices echoed around her, muffled as if there was a glass pane separating them.

It turned out that was exactly what it was as a low hiss surrounded her, before the lid of the strange tubelike device she was trapped in lifted. She tried to step out from it, but quickly lost her balance, collapsing down to her hands and knees.

"Pyrrha?" This time a feminine voice called - the only one, among three other men. Heels clicked as she approached cautiously, leaning down and placing a hand on her shoulder.

The brief contact sparked a memory, so vivid and so horrible, that she recoiled from it as if her very life depended on it. "Get away from me!" She screamed, a voice she didn't recognize leaving her mouth.

She tapped into her powers, expecting to launch everyone around her backwards. Then she would make a break for the door. Only… to have nothing happen. Her powers, they didn't work. That shouldn't be possible… she could feel them. They were weak, but so was she.

"Miss Nikos, please calm down." This time it was an authoritative voice that spoke, heavy metal steps as a lumbering man approached her. "You're disoriented from the transfer. We're your friends."

She let out a bitter laugh, glancing up at her captors with nothing but resentment in her eyes. "Friends? If you were my friends you would at least know my name." They did not react the way she expected after saying that. Instead of snarling in anger or lashing out at her, they looked confused. Confused and genuinely mortified.

Did she… have the wrong impression about these people? As she inspected them closer, she finally recognized one of their faces. "You're… Ozpin." She'd never met him before, but even she would recognize the headmaster of Beacon.

All eyes turned to him, waiting to see how he would respond. Even he looked unsure of what to say. "I am Ozpin, yes." He began slowly, cautiously even. "What… is your name? Are you not Pyrrha Nikos?"

"No, I'm not." She recognized that name now. It was that Mistral Champion girl. "I don't even look like her." She gestured down at herself while stumbling to her feet. It was only when her hands brushed against metal that she realized something was wrong.

Eyes darted down to her body, inspecting herself. These were not her clothes and this was most definitely not her figure. Panic began to settle in and her head whipped around, looking for any kind of reflective surface. Just next to her was a tube like the one she stumbled out from. She raced to it, frantically looking in to see her reflection.

What she saw instead was the lifeless form of her body lying inside. "W-what is going on here?" Her face looked like it was cracked, a darkened spiderweb pattern racing across it. As she looked at it, another horrifying memory, racked through her.

The crying little girl. Her assailants. That… bug.

Stomach twisted and it felt like she might throw up. Before she could, a flash of red and bronze reflected in the glass and she finally got a look at herself. Unfamiliar emerald eyes stared back.

"Miss, please. I need your name." Ozpin stepped forward and she looked back at him. There was nowhere for her to run. Behind her was the machinery and ahead of one of the strongest Huntsmen on Remnant. Powers didn't work, leaving her utterly trapped. "I can only help you if I know exactly what happened."

"How… how can I trust you?" She wanted to badly to trust this man right now. If she couldn't, she was more than likely dead. There was just so much right now she didn't understand, that she had no idea how she was supposed to trust anyone right now.

"That's just a gamble you have to take, sweetheart." The last man spoke before taking a swig from a silver flask. His words were the opposite of reassuring, but his voice was one she recognized. He was the one who saved her. These people were working against the ones who attacked her.

Trying to steal what nerves she had, she gave a slow nod. "… Amber." Her voice was low, barely audible. Sucking in a deep breath, she repeated herself with more confidence the next time.

"My name is Amber."

* * *

Cinder felt… a shift.

She couldn't say what it was for sure, but something in the very air around her changed. Coming to a stop, she turned her head to look in the direction of Beacon, despite not being able to see it through the walls of the building she currently resided in.

"Ma'am?" The giant man known as Hei Xiong turned to regard her curiously, but also with a small tinge of fear. He knew nothing about her, Roman was smart enough not to break information to any of his contacts, even a world-renowned information broker such as this man here.

"It's nothing." Whatever it was Cinder had felt just now, it was gone. She shrugged the feeling off, before once more following Hei Xiong down the hallway. "Your room is right here." He stopped at the last door, turning to give her a brass key. "I should mention that I normally don't rent these rooms out, but…"

"Money can be persuasive." And where money failed, she had other means of coercing people to do what she wanted. Her yellow eyes shimmered brightly for a split second, causing the tall man to gulp and adjust his tie.

"Yes, yes it can." He agreed as she took the key from him. When he didn't step to the side immediately to let her in, she looked back up at him. "I just find myself wondering… how long you plan on staying? That's quite a bit of money you're forking over and the well has gotta run dry eventually."

Cinder gave a soft, short chuckle, reaching up and just barely grazing his beard. Eyes widened as he quickly stepped back from the contact and out of her way. "Don't worry. My business won't take long." She stuck the key in the door and unlocked it.

"We'll be gone before you know it."

* * *

"You sure you girls don't want to come with me? It could be fun and you'll meet new people." Blake glanced up at her partner who stood at the door, looking back at them one last time.

"I'm fine." She said with a simple shrug, holding up the book she was reading for emphasis. "I've fallen a bit behind on my reading lately, anyways." That was part of it, but mostly she just didn't want to be dragged along to meet Yang's old friends from Signal, a bunch of people she didn't know. She liked her team, but that didn't mean she wanted to socialize with all their old acquaintances.

"I have other plans, myself." Weiss didn't even turn around to respond, too busy looking in the mirror as she set her hair in its usual sideways ponytail.

"Suit yourselves." Yang didn't appear the least bit put-off by their rejection, which Blake supposed she found a relief. Ruby might have tagged along with her, if she wasn't currently spending all her time with Jaune. It was sweet, in a way, how dedicated she was to helping him. At the same time, Blake couldn't help but worry about her.

Ruby didn't show any signs of fatigue and she certainly appeared elated to spend so much time with her now-boyfriend, regardless of his condition. Maybe Blake was just looking for something that wasn't there, but she felt like there must have been some kind of tension. Yang appeared to not notice anything either, and she was Ruby's sister. So for now, Blake would just leave it be.

The door clicked shut as Yang left, pulling Blake from her thoughts. Her bow twitched, enhanced hearing picking up on the blonde's retreating footsteps. Only once they were gone even to her did she nod to Weiss. "I think we're good."

"You're clear on the plan?" Weiss asked for the umpteenth time, earning a roll of the eyes from the faunus.

"Yes, Weiss. We're simply going for basic reconnaissance. A simple tour of the facility and if they'll allow you, access to the surveillance feed." Their destination was naturally the Schnee factory in Vale where the very weapons used to hurt Jaune had been stolen from. There was no way Banesaw had gotten in there by himself. Maybe they could somehow trace his accomplices' footsteps, or at least get an idea how many he had.

"That's right. No going rogue this time. If things don't pan out or we feel like they're hiding something from me, the heiress of the company, then you have my permission to break in there at a later date to get what we want." Weiss fixed her with an even glare, not so much as willing to budge an inch until Blake gave her consent.

With a resigned sigh, Blake nodded. "I've got it. We'll do it your way... for now." Personally, she would rather just skip right to the part where they took what they wanted without anyone knowing, but that was probably her old experience speaking. She had little doubt Weiss' plan wasn't going to get them much, so it would be her way eventually anyway. That was more time for the trail to run cold, however.

At the first sign of deception by the Schnee employees, she was switching their mode of operation, regardless of whatever protest Weiss had.

"Sounds like fun. Mind if we tag along?" Both girls let out a shriek and whirled on the open window of their dorm room. Standing on the ledge, tail twitching happily, was a familiar monkey faunus.

"Sun?" Blake didn't understand what he was doing here, or how he was here for that matter. "I thought all the students from Haven had already gone back."

"Well, yeah. But I stowed away here to begin with, remember?" Actually, she had forgotten all about that until he said something just now. "I figure I'll do the same to get back."

"N-not by boat we won't!" Another familiar voice said from just outside of their view.

"Neptune?" It was Weiss' turn to call in surprise.

"In the flesh. Now Sun… can we please get inside already!? You know how I feel about heights." Blake could just imagine him out there, trembling on the ledge like the last time the two of them had done this.

"Yeah, yeah." Sun gave a disgruntled shake of the head while jumping into their room. Neptune was quick to follow behind him, falling in with far less grace. "So what do you girls say, got room for two more?" He reiterated his earlier question, not even paying any mind to his partner who was now kissing their carpet.

"Sun, I don't know…" Blake looked at Weiss to see her equally conflicted. They didn't want to drag anyone else into this if they could avoid it.

"Look, I owe Jaune one." Neptune shakily got to his feet, yet somehow tried to look resolved in the process. "What happened to him isn't right and if you got a plan to bring out the ones that orchestrated that, I want in."

"Not to mention because of them the whole tournament was canceled and that really bites." Okay, ignoring Sun's less than satisfactory reason, Blake did suppose Neptune had a passable answer for wanting to aid them. "Besides," Sun whispered as he leaned up to her. "I know you and you're going to need Neptune to distract Weiss if you want to get things done the Belladonna way."

"I say we let them help." Now that was a point Blake could get behind. Weiss cocked an eyebrow, clearly suspicious of her quick turnaround.

"Come on, Snow Angel." Neptune winked at her, running a hand back through his blue hair. When they first met, that might have worked on her. After he almost went the whole dance without talking to her, it had a much different effect, her frown growing more displeased instead. "What I mean is-" He quickly changed tactics, smart enough to notice this, "Please let us help. Aren't they less likely to be suspicious if it just looks like you're taking us on a tour?"

Weiss still didn't look convinced, but at least she looked more willing to consider it than a second ago. Finally, her shoulders deflated and she gave a curt nod. "Okay, but only because the two of you are already here, so you might as well be useful."

"Nice!" Sun spun on Neptune, the two of them high-fiving to celebrate their inclusion. Weiss and Blake both let out a low groan at their childishness.

They were regretting this already.

* * *

"Jaune, I can keep pushing you if you want. I really don't mind." Ruby lagged several steps behind her boyfriend, fingers twiddling anxiously as he rolled himself down Beacon's hallways.

"I gotta learn to do it myself sometime." Jaune had to respond in between gasps for air. Ever since he got this new wheelchair, he had become increasingly more clingy to it, the only other people he allowed to touch it being her and Ren… and that was only when he absolutely had to.

Having the other one broken by Pyrrha must have been much more of a shock to him than she even imagined. She thought once the panic attack had ended he would return more or less back to normal, but he was beginning to slip more regularly. His outbursts which had once been infrequent, were significantly less so. Although a part of that was probably because he was always so exhausted from pushing himself around.

Ruby counted herself lucky to still be less likely to be on the receiving end of his ire - usually it was only those Jaune caught giving him a pitying glance - but she could tell it was taking a very conscious effort on his part not to snap at her whenever she called out to him.

In the several days since that encounter with Pyrrha he hadn't once brought her up. Not to ask if they'd found her - which they hadn't - nor to bring up what the two of them had even talked about. Ruby was too scared to ask him first, afraid any mention of his partner may have consequences she couldn't take back.

Ren and Nora continued to search for her, to talk to her themselves this time. At least, she hoped it was just to talk. Nora was clearly angry… and Ren, it was hard to tell with him, but in a way that frightened her even more. This left Ruby to look after Jaune on her own. She didn't mind that part so much, but she wished she could come up with some way to improve his mood.

Hopefully where they were heading right now would have some kind of effect, not that she knew what Ozpin had called Jaune out for. "Ah, Mr Arc and Miss Rose. I've been expecting you." The headmaster of Beacon himself greeted them as they turned the last corner before their destination.

"Sorry if we're late, Professor." Ruby hadn't actually expected Ozpin to arrive personally, just assuming he would send another member of the staff to accompany them. She supposed that went to show Ozpin really did feel guilty about what had happened to Jaune. Again, she felt a small tinge of guilt herself for having doubted him.

"Think nothing of it." Ozpin waved it off, gesturing vaguely with his cane. "I finished my earlier business already and have nothing but free time." He sipped from his ever present mug before looking down at Jaune. "How have you been?"

"...Fine." It looked like he wanted to say something else, but still appeared to have the conscious of mind to respect Ozpin's position. Although, she kind of had a feeling Ozpin wouldn't have minded even if Jaune did say something sarcastic to him.

"Shall we then?" The headmaster gestured to the closed door behind him that led to Beacon's courtyard and Jaune rolled towards it. Ruby ran around the side of him, quick to open it up and step aside so he could get through.

"Thanks." Jaune grumbled, rolling past the frame without trouble, marking significant improvement in his handling. Ruby went to follow behind him, but a hand on the shoulder stopped her. Ozpin leaned close, whispering only loud enough for her to hear.

"Just move your head to answer. Am I correct in understanding he and Miss Nikos had some sort of falling out the other day?" Silver eyes widened a fraction and she almost responded verbally, instead managing to restrain herself at the last second and just nod. "I thought as much." Even while whispering, Ozpin sounded exhausted. "If… he asks about her, tell him I sent her on a mission. It could take some time to complete, so he might not see her for awhile. She… she wishes she could've made up with him before but her participation was urgent."

Ruby didn't even get to respond before Ozpin stepped past the door, walking up to Jaune before he had a chance to notice their silent conversation. His words cycled through her mind a mile a minute, but no matter how many ways she replayed them, she remained confused.

He wanted her to tell Jaune that… but did that mean it was true or was it just something he made up? She didn't think she could lie to Jaune, especially not if he wanted to know about Pyrrha. If it was true, however, just what was so important that Pyrrha was sent on a mission without her team? And had she really wanted to apologize before the mission? Ozpin surely wouldn't make that up.

Just standing here wasn't going to get her any answers and Jaune _was_ looking back at her now. Not wishing to make him suspicious she jogged forward and into the outside air, letting the door swing shut behind her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you wait." She didn't bother offering an excuse, knowing she was never very good at lying to begin with.

"It's okay." Jaune didn't seem to mind but he did have a look of contemplation now. She worried he already knew something was up. Instead he gave a nod towards the handles on his chair. "If you... still want to push me around, you can. I'm getting pretty tired."

"Really?" She didn't know what caused this sudden change, but she was thrilled by his decision all the same. Without missing another beat she dashed to his chair and gripped the handlebars on the back. She then nodded to Ozpin to lead the way.

He smiled at the interaction before starting forward and further into Beacon's courtyard. Ruby began to push the chair after him, still not entirely sure what their destination was. One look down at Jaune, however, made her not worry about it so much.

He let out a small moan as he lifted his arms above his head to stretch them, several audible pops occurring the process. "It's been awhile since I've gotten such a workout." His tone had a slight trace of humor to it, something she hadn't heard in several days. "Swinging Crocea Mors will be like swinging a feather at this rate."

She let out an exaggerated giggle, just happy to hear his mood had improved even a little. "You did always complain about how heavy it was, even when in its sheath."

"Have you tried to carry that heirloom around all day? It's exhausting." Jaune grinned up at her, before his gaze seemed to drift off to the white clouds above them. Ruby followed his line of sight, simply enjoying the beautiful weather they continued to have. Not much longer now and it would start to get colder, so it was good to enjoy this while it lasted.

"Hey," When he next spoke, his tone was again more sullen and she looked down at him, his face having settled into a concerned frown. "I'm trying to stay upbeat… but that isn't always easy. If I'm ever too much, you can let me know. I don't want to burden you." She got it now. He thought she had lagged behind earlier because she was tired of following him around all day. Which was why he was now trying to be more like his old self, joking around and letting her push the chair.

"No, you're not a burden." Ruby closed her eyes and gave a subtle shake of the head. "Things are hard for you right now… I knew they would be when I asked you out." Although she certainly hadn't expected what happened with Pyrrha. "Even if you're not always acting like yourself or say something you don't mean, so long as you keep doing your best, I'll forgive you."

"Wonderful words, Miss Rose." Both of them straightened out, slight blushes coloring their cheeks as they remembered Ozpin was still walking ahead of them, easily within earshot. "If you keep up that attitude, you should have no problem convincing _her_ that you're right for young Mr Arc."

"Her?" Ruby tilted her head curiously, looking down to see if Jaune knew what the headmaster was talking about. He shrugged, but she could've sworn she also saw what looked like a small seed of understanding in his eyes too. Although it was also mixed now by what looked like a sense of dread.

"By her, I am naturally referring to the woman we are here to meet. Why else do you think we would come out this way?" It was only now that Ruby realized they were in fact heading right for Beacon's landing pad. "Ah, speak of the devil. It would appear her transport has already arrived."

"Ah crud…" Whatever bad feeling Jaune once had, it appeared to be proven true. Ruby didn't have to even guess who it was she should be looking for. That was because there was one woman in particular marching right for them.

"Who is she?" It was hard to tell her age from here, but she could've only been in her mid-twenties at the oldest. Purple haired tied into a ponytail whipped behind her and she was dressed in a simple white shirt and khaki pants, giving her an almost plain appearance. The stern look in her orange eyes, however, made Ruby feel skittish.

"That right there is a former valedictorian of this very academy," Ozpin stopped in place, tapping his cane against the concrete as he waited for her to cross the remaining distance. "The very pride of her family, Violet Arc."

Ruby looked down at Jaune, not at all seeing the resemblance between him and this woman, despite having the same last name. She needn't have wondered as he revealed their relation a moment later.

"She's also my eldest sister."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** Violet only got a brief snippet this chapter, but if you want a better idea of what she looks like, there is actually fan art of her I have the link posted to on my profile page.

I did try to make the scene with Jaune and Ruby lighter in tone, considering where I last left the two of them. I don't want to bombard y'all with constant negativity, no matter how much it seems like I might. Having said that, the opening scene with Amber in Pyrrha's body was probably some of the darkest stuff yet.

For this story, I'm going with the idea that Amber has never actually met anyone in Ozpin's group. They know who she is through research and Qrow was on his way to bring her in and offer her protection when Cinder attacked, but she has no idea who they are outside of their reputation. So when Ozpin was asking for her name, it wasn't because he didn't know it, it was because he wanted to be absolutely sure of what happened, and to verify that she knew undoubtedly who she was.


	7. Chapter 7

Beta: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Falling Down**

 _Chapter Seven_

* * *

Jaune knew it was only a matter of time before someone from his family came to get him.

However, what he had not counted on was that family member being Violet. His mom or dad made sense, but why would they send his eldest sister? It was even more strange considering she didn't live at home with the rest of them anymore.

In a way, Violet was the one he least wanted to see. And that wasn't just because the look in her orange eyes right now was terrifying, although that was certainly a big part of it. The real reason, however, was because Violet had been the one he felt like he had the most to prove to when he started this journey.

She was the first and only one of their siblings to become a Huntress. In fact, she was the only one aside from him to try. All he ever wanted was to be like her, but now here he was; stuck in a wheelchair and likely never to graduate.

"Jaune." Honestly, he didn't know how to react when she stopped in front of him. Despite being the eldest, he had long since grown taller than her. Now that he was stuck in this chair, it was her looking down at him again, just like it was when he was a child. Her voice betrayed nothing of what she was feeling, simply stating his name as if just for the sake of it.

He thought she might be mad, orange eyes hardened as they assessed his condition and her body terse, looking almost ready to uncoil and strike at him. It was only because he knew that's just how Violet was, that he couldn't be sure. If she really were mad, he imagined she would have already hit or shouted at him, instead of just standing there silently.

It was almost like everyone else in the world didn't exist anymore. Ruby wasn't standing behind him holding the handles of his chair. Ozpin didn't stand off to the side. The other passengers who had unboarded the ship with Violet were not walking around them. It was just him and his eldest sister. Both waited for the other to act, but neither seemed eager to break the delicate quiet that settled over them as they stared at one another.

Inevitably, however, it came to an end. Violet crouched down in front of him, one knee coming to rest on the concrete ground beneath them and arms reaching out towards him. On instinct alone, he flinched and tensed up, shoulders and arms locking in place. He needn't have done any of that, Violet not moving nearly quick enough to even suspect her of striking him.

Instead, her arms came around him, hands resting on his back and pulling him forward. His chin hit her shoulder even as her own rested on his, the side of her purple ponytail tickling his cheek. Only after several seconds did his body finally seem to recognize the sensation as a hug and he relaxed into her, chest leaning against hers and arms coming up to grip her back.

"Violet…" He heard himself call out to her, voice raspy and almost unrecognizable to him. Tears welled in the corners of his eyes and he couldn't tell if that was because he was sad, scared, happy, or some other emotion. It felt like he might be overloaded, holding his sister, his family, after all this time.

"I was so worried about you, idiot." Her breath tickled his ears and he felt her lips press against his blonde hair as she peppered him with hard kisses. It was like he could feel her own complex mix of emotions with each one, knowing how frustrated and frightened, yet relieved and overjoyed she was.

"Yeah, I'm sorry." He didn't know what else to say, not that he was even sure he could say anything more. His throat was already hoarse and tears rolled freely down the sides of his cheeks, wetting the shoulder of Violet's shirt.

How long the two of them sat like that he couldn't say. When he first saw her, he had been filled with terrible unease, yet now that he was holding her it was like he never wanted to let go. Like their initial staredown, the hug too had to come to an end and it was again Violet who finally began to pull back. Even as she did, her hands lingered on his back until the last possible second and her own tear-filled eyes never left him until she was standing upright again.

"It took me longer than I thought it would to get the paperwork and I'm sorry for that. I'm here for you now, Jaune." Even when on the verge of tears, her voice was strong and somehow full of self-assurance. Not that he understood the meaning of her words.

"What are you talking about? What paperwork?" He hated how weak and broken his own voice sounded in contrast to hers. Violet's eyes narrowed and she wiped the lingering droplets from her eyes before turning to look at the only other man present.

"Ozpin." Her voice turned short and clipped, completely lacking any of the softness it held when she talked to him. "Did you not tell him anything?" Even the headmaster of Beacon seemed to waver slightly under Violet's ever stern gaze.

"Ah… regrettably it did not come up in our conversations, no. I was attempting not to overload young Mister Arc with information and I thought any family matters might be better heard coming from you." Ozpin pulled at his collar, tapping the base of his cane against the concrete - which might have actually been something of a nervous habit.

"I don't even know why I'm surprised." Violet relented with a tired sigh, pulling out a pamphlet of folded papers from her back pocket. "Everything you need should be in here. If there are any problems with it let me know and I'll get it straightened out."

"I'm sure it will be fine." Ozpin accepted the papers gratefully, but Jaune still had no idea of their purpose and it seemed like they had forgotten he had even asked.

"What's going on here?" The former meekness in his voice was gone, replaced now by a simmering heat. Violet turned back to regard him, orange eyes apologizing but also looking weary.

"I am your legal guardian now, Jaune." He knew what he just heard, but for some reason those words didn't make sense. "The paperwork I just gave to Ozpin is the official documentation signing guardianship over to me from our parents."

"Are you saying…" His mind was whirling with so many different reasons and possibilities he didn't know which one he would say until the words were already leaving his mouth. "...that mom and dad don't want anything to do with me anymore?" Had his failure been that monumental that they wished to disown him?

"No! God no!" Violet crouched down in front of him faster than he could see, a hand coming to rest on his knee - not that he could feel it. "They're worried sick about you. Dad tells me mom hasn't slept in days. They want nothing more than to bring you back home and coddle you, keep you safe for the rest of your life."

"...Then why?" Their actions didn't line up with her words. It wouldn't have been the first time Violet had tried to keep the truth from him either, all in order to protect him from something that she thought he wasn't strong enough to hear.

"I talked with them about it in detail and in the end, dad and I agreed this is the best course of action to help you adjust to your new life." New life? Now what was she talking about? Did she mean to imply they had already decided he was done training to become a Huntsmen? "Mom was against it… but dad managed to get her to see our reasoning. This is just about doing what's best for you."

"I still… I don't understand." His head hurt and it was beginning to feel like the earth was spinning.

"Domremy is just a small expansion towards the edge of Vale." She referred to their home village, the town he and all his sisters grew up in. "There are hospitals here in Vale city, where I live, better equipped to take care of you and your new needs." She used the "new" word again, like somehow his old life was gone forever. And what did she even mean by better equipped to care for him, as in to cure him or something else?

"There's also the matter of living arrangement. You remember Lily, my old partner, right?" He nodded vaguely. "She and I live together and it's just the two of us. Four of our other sisters still live at home with mom and dad and we feel… that may be a little too much for you, right now. Mom and dad will bring the rest of our sisters to come visit you a couple at a time, once you're all settled. It'll just be much less stress on you to come live with me."

"What do you mean about living with you?" Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. "I'm not leaving. Beacon is my home now… I'm a student here." He looked up at Ozpin, desperate to see what he would say. Violet turned towards him again as well, and he glanced between the two Arc siblings before clearing his throat.

"Nothing has been officially determined yet. There is a panel being held tomorrow at noon that will decide your future at this academy."

"What!?" This was the first Jaune had heard about it at all. He just assumed it was up to Ozpin to decide. "I- I need to talk to them. I can convince them I'm going to get better. You've got to let me-"

"You, myself, and Violet will all be there tomorrow to make your case, Mister Arc." Ozpin cut him off, but there was no sense of urgency to his tone. "Violet will be there as your guardian and I will be there in the capacity of your legal counsel." In other words… not as the headmaster? "I too wish to see you remain here and plan to present your argument to the best of my capabilities."

"Exactly what argument do you plan to present to them?" Violet huffed and crossed her arms, once again fixing Ozpin with a glare. "I did some research… we won't be able to afford the cost of the surgery, even with insurance. And even if we could, the type of surgery that can fix Jaune's spine is still experimental and dangerous. There's no guarantee it won't make him worse."

"We have no choice but to try." Ozpin took the words right out of Jaune's mouth, although he didn't appear to be talking about the surgery, for now just focusing on the panel tomorrow. "If we can convince them young Mister Arc is worth betting on, perhaps there is hope."

"...Fine." Violet relented easier than he expected. "Let's not talk about this anymore. It sounds like you have a plan for tomorrow so I'll leave that up to you." Her eyes drifted up above Jaune. "How about in the meantime, you introduce me to the girl behind you."

"Eep!" Ruby gave a small gasp, reminding Jaune that she was still here after having remained completely silent the whole time. She quickly scurried around to the front, extending a quivering hand. "It's really nice to meet you, Jaune's sister, Violet, ma'am. My name is Ruby Rose and I'm the leader of team RWBY." The words tumbled out her mouth so fast Oobleck would be proud.

"Ah, you had a match the same day as Jaune's." Some small light of recognition dawned on Violet as she shook Ruby's hand. "You're younger than I expected, given your impressive performance."

"Hahaha, shucks." Ruby grinned bashfully, rubbing the back of her head with one hand while the other continued to shake with Violet's, already passing the timeframe that the length of the shake would be considered awkward. "I'm really glad to hear you think that. I was afraid you might not like me or disapprove of me as Jaune's girlfriend."

"..."

"...What?"

Violet's smile cracked.

"Umm… did I not mention that already?"

"No you did not."

Ruby's eyes twitched in pain and darted down to their hands which were still linked together.

"Your uh- your grip is getting really tight."

Well, it looked like this was about to end as well as every other time he brought a girl home… and by that he meant it never once did.

* * *

"Might I just say, Miss Schnee, it is a real honor to have you and your friends pay us a visit today."

"As you've said." Only about two dozen times before, Weiss didn't add aloud. It was literally every time they entered a new room she got that same line from their guide. She did her best to put on that practiced fake smile, but even she could tell it was getting strained at best.

This wasn't even a very large or important facility in the grand scheme of things - the more principal research centers being located in Atlas - yet they had somehow managed to make this little "tour" take two hours. And in all that time they had yet to come to the room where those evil gauntlets and greaves had been stolen from.

"Oooh… what do these do?" Part of their delay was Neptune's uncharacteristic childishness. She almost thought she was hanging out with Jaune Arc, what with the giddy way in which the blue-haired dolt skipped over to the conveyor belt on the other side of the room. Some form of crystallized Dust was being transferred across, but Weiss didn't even know the purpose for it yet.

"Mister Vasilias, please refrain from touching that!" Their tour guide, whose name Weiss still hadn't bothered to learn, chased after Neptune in a panic the same way she always did; heels clicking loudly against the steel floor and open palms waving in the air.

"Weiss... " Blake prodded her shoulder, yet another thing Weiss was getting sick of. Every time Neptune went off and did something they went over this.

"No! Just no!" She hissed under her breath, not even turning to look at the faunus. "We don't even know where they kept those weapons yet. I'm telling you to wait until after the tour." Did she have any idea how much trouble they would all get in if they got caught trying to snoop around in a place that had already been robbed once?

"Come on, Ice Queen." Sun griped loudly, taking long steps around to the front of her. His tail twitched anxiously and hands rested on the back of his head. "This is soooo boring. I can only watch Neptune make an ass of himself so many times before even I start to get bored of it."

"First, don't use that kind of language around me-"

"Ass?"

"Yes, don't." She held a threatening finger up, eyes narrowing dangerously at him. He didn't appear the least bit intimidated, smiling uncaringly. It was like they thought this was some kind of field trip. They were aware that Jaune had been seriously injured by the things that came from this place, right? "Second-"

"Okay, let's go to the next location." She was again cut off as their guide returned, a dejected Neptune following behind her with head hung low and hands tucked into his jacket pockets.

"Look what you did man." Sun threw an arm over Neptune's shoulder. "Now we don't even get to know what the stuff does…" As if he even cared. Weiss thought this dryly as she and Blake followed after the two of them.

"Why did we bring them along again?" She asked under her breath.

"I believe you said something about at least making them useful." Blake recalled, although she didn't look nearly as distraught about their presence as Weiss felt. She and Sun were up to something and Weiss had a feeling Neptune was in on it. If they thought they were going to pull something with her here, then they all had another thing coming.

"I can hear you, y'know?" Sun called over his shoulder. Sometimes Weiss really couldn't stand that enhanced faunus hearing.

"What are they saying?" Neptune had no such boon. "I don't got something in my teeth, do I?" Not that it made her want to smack him any less.

"Excuse me, ma'am." Blake interrupted the conversation, coming to a stop. Everyone in the group turned to see her pointing at a closed sliding door they had just walked past. "What's behind this one here?"

"Ah…" Their guide appeared uncomfortable, clasping her hands in front of herself while her eyes darted around. Even if she didn't say anything, her mannerisms alone were enough to tell them that this was the room they had been looking for. "There is unfortunately nothing in there anymore. We halted that project." So they were trying to brush the whole incident under the rug after all. Did her father know that… or had they been his orders to begin with?

"Now if you all will continue to follow me. We're almost done." The woman turned and began walking again, not even checking to see if they would heed her words and follow. Weiss could only sigh, not at all surprised by this turn of events. It looked like they would have to do things Blake's way in the end after all. She just really hoped they waited until after she left to try anything.

"Umm… is it normal for my hand to turn purple like this?"

"What!?"

Of course, that was asking for too much.

She knew now why Neptune had been acting the way he had the whole time, as he slipped off the glove on his hand, the whole of it covered in some kind of purple substance. It had all been in preparation for this little show. Their guide naturally ate it up, eyes wide with horror and it looked for a moment like she might faint when she saw his hand.

"W-when did this happen? Are you okay? Do you feel woozy?" She hovered over the "infected" hand, not willing to get close enough to touch it but at a lost what else she could do.

"I don't remember…" Neptune held his other hand up to his head, eyelids fluttered as he put on what was actually a fairly convincing act. Weiss might have even bought it if she didn't know how full of crap he was. "Everything's kind of blurring together. Is it hot in here? I'm getting hot."

"We need to get you to the decontamination ward immediately! You two help- where'd they go?" She looked up for their two faunus friends, but the moment Neptune had begun this charade, Weiss heard them slip away. She glanced up to the ceiling just in time to see a vent grate click shut.

"Bathroom." The word slipped out of her mouth far more easily than she was comfortable with. Part of her wanted to get Blake caught out of spite, but unveiling their ruse now would only get her in trouble along with them. "I will assist in getting Neptune to the ward. Come on, you idiot."

"Ow, Weiss! Be gentle with me, I'm injured!" She grabbed him by the ear and began pulling him along, ignoring both his and the guide's shouts about possible contamination.

Blake owed her one, that was for sure.

* * *

"You think Ice Queen is gonna be mad?"

Blake didn't even know why Sun would ask such a dumb question unless it was rhetorical. There was no way Weiss wasn't mad already, but the fact that they hadn't been caught yet meant she was at least playing along with them.

Of course, part of that was probably just because if she exposed them now, she would only be selling herself out as an accomplice. Blake could imagine the headline already.

 _Schnee Heiress aides faunus renegades in stealing from company_

"I'll take that as a most definitely?" Blake had to keep from groaning aloud, shooting Sun a dirty look as he paused in the vent shaft they were crawling through to glance back at her. The moment he saw her irritated gaze, which probably only looked more frightening in the dark, he quickly set forward again. Quietly this time, thankfully. It would really suck to get caught because he didn't know how to quit running his mouth.

Still, she was thankful to him and Neptune. If not for them tagging along, she wouldn't have been able to get away from Weiss to pull this off nearly this early. She would've had to wait until the tour was over before she could try anything. And while she would never admit it aloud, their presence had made that tour from Hell bearable. She would've shot herself in the head with Gambol Shroud long before they reached the end if they hadn't been here.

"I think this is it." Sun had adopted a much more hushed tone to Blake's relief. The cat ears hidden under her bow twitched as she heard him remove the vent cover he was over. His head ducked into the room beneath them, but he made no other movement save for the twitching of his tail.

"What can you see?" She hissed, leaning forward but careful to keep her face just far enough away to not get swatted by his faunus appendage.

"Not much, it's pitch black so give my eyes a second to adjust." Even with enhanced faunus night-vision, if the room was too dark they couldn't necessarily see right away. "It looks like the place has been completely abandoned. I can see security cameras but it doesn't even look like they're recording anymore."

"If they're not recording we should just head down already." The less time spent away from Weiss the better. It would only be so long before someone became suspicious. Sun made a grunt of acknowledgment and then a moment later his whole body slipped through the hole.

She followed after, the heels of her shoes making a loud clack when they hit the steel floor. Amber eyes immediately began to scan the room, but like Sun, her vision hadn't adjusted quite just yet.

"Go stand by the door. Keep an eye out for anyone approaching." That should be their first priority, making sure they did not get caught. Bringing down the White Fang and exposing those who would hurt their friends was important, but they couldn't do that if they were treated as criminals themselves.

"On it." Sun made for the door, not even making the slightest sound even when his shoes touched down. Blake meanwhile began to make her way forward, eyes finally beginning to make out the finer details of the room.

The majority of it was just empty space with a low, reinforced wall separating that space from the front door and what appeared to be a back lab. If she had to guess, she would say this had been a practical applications arena where they had been testing the weapons. Further inspection showed dents and cracks in the walls that supported this theory.

She made her way to the lab on the other side, sliding easily over the low wall and landing on a soft carpet. Instead of having a glass pane to separate the lab from the arena, it appeared the wall was able to emit some type of dust shield, similar to what the Amity Coliseum did. Only the best for the Schnee Dust Company, she noted this with a bitter thought.

And yet they still managed to get robbed. For a place that was building experimental, highly dangerous technology, their security sure was lacking. Where was their sense of urgency? They had just been robbed not too long ago but two students had been able to sneak into the same room with a poor act and quick feet.

She supposed it might just be because this wasn't Atlas, so they considered the priority of technology to be of a lesser value. Which was really just a poor excuse if you asked her, especially considering what that technology had done to Jaune.

The lab was about what she would expect. Two pedestals sat next to the one wall, where the weapons had likely been taken from. A little ways from those pedestals was a workbench. Even now that was covered with a myriad of tools, wires, and scrap metal, not to mention the numerous half-empty vials of Dust. Someone had been working hard and for what looked to be a long time on this technology.

She wondered how that person felt now? Were they terrified to know their weapons had been used to commit a terrorist act? Perhaps it was one of those less moral scientists who only cared about the results and was ecstatic to see their weapons perform up to expectation? Either way, it looked like the project had been officially shut down.

Fortunately for her, that didn't mean they cleared out and even the computer appeared left untouched. She walked up to the terminal, sliding into the rotating chair and finding the power button.

With a soft whirl, the computer booted to life and the monitor placed on the desk lit up. Her hands quickly found the volume, muting it before any kind of unnecessary noise was generated.

"Blake, you find anything?" She jumped a foot in the air and for a split second actually thought her heart was going to come flying up her throat when Sun's voice came through her scroll. Already she had forgotten that they turned on the short-range communicate feature shortly after entering the vent. Whirling around to glare at him across the room, she fumbled for the device.

"Do _not_ startle me like that again. I thought someone had already found us." She hissed angrily into the mic. On the other side of the room, she could barely see him give a sheepish shrug.

"My bad. I just wanted to know what your progress was. It's not very exciting over here." Not exciting was a good thing when on lookout duty. If he was having an exciting time, they were in trouble.

"I've only just turned the computer on. I'm looking through the files now." She began navigating the computer's drive as she responded. "Hopefully, there is something here that can help us."

"What exactly do you think could be on there? I thought we were… you know? Looking for clues the White Fang left behind, not looking into the company." She supposed his confusion made sense, this likely being the first time he had done something like this. However, she was only all too used to these types of operations and how the White Fang did things.

"Just because they stole the weapons didn't necessarily mean they were going to know how to use them. There might have even been some kind of code stored on this computer that they needed to operate them."

"And you think they might have left some kind of proof behind? Like what, a digital footprint?"

"More like a program they used to copy the software they needed. Or maybe something that will allow them to access this terminal remotely." Immediately after saying that, amber eyes went wide. "I think I got something."

"Already? Damn, you're good."

"I can't be sure, but this certainly looks unusual." Not to mention it was in buried behind so many obscure files it would be impossible to find if you didn't know what you were looking for. Unfortunately for the people involved, Blake did know what she was looking for and this just proved even more that it was the White Fang's dirty work.

Of course, she'd never seen them use a program quite like this before either. Instead of having some kind of alpha or numeric symbol, the program was illustrated by a single simple design: A Black Queen piece, like one might see when playing chess. She wasn't even sure how that was possible, but unless her eyes were playing tricks on her, that was what she was seeing.

"Blake, I think someone's coming down the hall." Crap! She didn't have any more time to waste. While it would be optimal to access the program here, she had no idea how long it would take or what kind of prompts it would require. Which just left her with one option.

"Talk to me Sun, what's going on?" She stuck her scroll in the computer and saw it pop up as a separate storable drive.

"I can only hear them now, but two people are definitely walking down the hallway. Their footsteps are heavy… I'm thinking maybe Atlas military?"

Atlas Military? That was right, they were still here for some reason. Even though everyone else from the tournament had left, General Ironwood had yet to pull out his troops. Putting the conspiracy theories to the back of her head for the time, she focused on the task at hand.

"You said they're walking? As in not in a hurry to get here?" She grabbed the program and dragged it to her scroll's folder.

"Yeah, I don't think they know we're here." At least some good news. Which they really needed, this program was massive. Far too large for some kind of simple hacking tool.

"I can see them. Definitely soldiers."

"Sun. Get away from the door and up the vent." Why was this stupid thing transferring so slow?

"What about you?" She heard him already scurrying back across the room.

"Just go." Almost there, it was almost there now.

"Ah shit." The door made a loud clunk. The soldiers were right outside it now and it sounded like they were coming in. "Blake, hurry up." Sun hissed, voice coming from the ceiling above.

"Got it!" Blake snatched up her scroll and hit the power button.

She whirled around just as light flooded into the room, the door swinging open.

"You see… no one here."

Blake lay pressed against the low wall, hands clamped over her mouth in an attempt to mask her rapid breathing. She only wished she could force her heart to be still. It hammered against her chest like a loud drum and she thought for sure they would hear it.

"Maybe we should check it out, just to be sure?" A thump echoed across the room, one of the soldiers stepping further in.

"Nah, come on man. This is a waste of our time." Yes, that was right. Listen to him. Don't come any closer.

Several terse seconds of silence passed as she waited for the other soldier to make a decision.

Her mind wandered to the weapon on her back. If they kept approaching, she would have to choice but to engage them.

She didn't want that. She left the White Fang specifically so it would never come to that.

"Yeah… I guess. Let's go."

And it still looked like it wouldn't.

They proceeded no further into the room, instead turning around and shutting the door… casting her once more into darkness.

Only once her heightened senses could no longer pick up their footsteps did she relax, hands falling against her side and giving a long, shaky breath.

"Blake? You okay?" Sun's voice echoed once again through her scroll, but it was several seconds before she had the strength to answer, arms feeling like jelly.

"I'm fine." She finally responded, voice sounding like she'd run a marathon. "I'm just fine." When had she gotten so unfit for these kinds of operations? It was almost laughable, considering what she once used to do for the White Fang.

Beacon had changed her… she let it change her. But maybe… that wasn't a bad thing? This affected her so badly, scared her so much because no longer did she want to do these kinds of things. She didn't want the world to see her as a criminal, where before she hadn't been capable of caring less.

Blake had her friends to thank for that. It was her friends she had done this for.

She looked at the scroll that had the proof she needed to expose those who had hurt Jaune. He was more of a friend of a friend, really. She didn't have to go this far for him, but for some reason anyway she wanted to. If only maybe to prove she was a better person now than she was back then.

"Should we maybe get out of here?" Sun didn't need to ask twice, Blake already climbing to unsteady feet.

"Yeah, now all that's left is just to get yelled at by Weiss."

* * *

"What in the name of all things holy were you two idiots thinking!?"

Sun and Blake finally emerged out the front door of the building, both of them at least having the decency to look sheepish. "Sorry." They both mumbled, almost too quietly for her to hear.

Weiss sucked in a deep breath and they both flinched, prepared for the berating they were no doubt expecting her to give. The one she had fully intended to give them. They had made her worry so much. What if they had been caught? Dragged out here by guards? She'd be forced to live with that.

It was such a relief seeing them not in that situation however, that she felt all the tension and anger slowly drain from her body. She didn't want to be angry and yell. It was always her that looked like the bad guy. Besides, she'd yelled plenty enough already… Neptune sitting on the ledge of a nearby fountain looking about ready to cry was testament enough to that.

"Did you… at least get something useful?" Instead, she asked this in an exasperated tone.

Blake and Sun shared a surprised look and it took them several moments to realize Weiss was in fact not going to rain down a vocal maelstrom on their ears. An uncharacteristic grin split Blake's face cheek to cheek and she held up her scroll.

"Let's find out."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** So hopefully this chapter helps explain why none of Jaune's other family will come into the picture. Family in such trying times is, of course, important and the others will certainly visit him, I just won't be showing that happen. Doing it this way is actually two-fold: I read that it's best not to overwhelm those who are going through what Jaune is with crowds of people... and having that many sisters bombard him at once is likely a recipe for disaster. Again, this also allows me to keep the story from being over-stuffed with OCs you don't care about.

Blake and Weiss' section got longer than what I expected, but it was necessary to push the plot forward. This story has a lot more going on than I originally intended and there should be more answers to what's going on with Pyrrha/Amber next chapter. However, the main focus of this story is still supposed to be Jaune/Ruby so even if some chapters have less of that, every chapter will always have them in it.

In other news, Falling Down has cover art now. Natzo (who has also drawn fanart for Violet) created it and I posted the link on my profile page, if you were interested in seeing it in a higher resolution.


	8. Chapter 8

Beta: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Falling Down**

 _Chapter Eight_

* * *

Ruby didn't exactly know what to expect when it came to meeting someone from Jaune's family.

She supposed in her mind she somehow expected it to be smooth sailing. Now that she thought about it, however, knowing her own big sister; getting along with Violet was going along about as well as she really should have expected it to.

And by that, she meant not well at all. In fact, it was miraculous that Yang approved of Jaune and allowed him to date her without recompense. Part of that might have been because he was just put in a wheelchair, but somehow Ruby doubted that was all of it.

Instead, she expected Yang to act much more towards Jaune how Violet was treating her now; giving the cold shoulder when possible, and when not, glaring at her with nothing less than outright hostility.

This had been Ruby's life for the past couple hours or so. Outright ignored by Jaune and Violet at best while they reconnected, and at worst… looked at with scorn by the eldest sister whenever Jaune tried to bridge her into the conversation.

It might have even hurt if she couldn't tell that Jaune was at least trying to make an effort to get them to know one another. If anything, he appeared just as lost as she felt. Violet, for whatever reason, was just not happy about the idea of the two of them being in a relationship. Seeing as she was quite literally Jaune's legal guardian now, Ruby intended to change this no matter what the cost.

"So Violet- ma'am…" For the first time since they split from Ozpin and begun to navigate Beacon's courtyard, Ruby initiated the conversation. The whole time they had been walking, it was Violet who pushed Jaune's chair and Ruby was left to trail several steps behind them. His eldest sister turned at her call, only enough so Ruby could catch a glimpse of irate orange. She would take that as an improvement to only staring at the back of her purple ponytail, however.

"Ozpin mentioned that you graduated valedictorian. I think that's so cool!" Ruby twiddled her thumbs, not at all sure what she was even trying to talk about. It wasn't like she had any ambition to be the best in her own class. Just graduating at all would be enough for her, forget the fact she had been admitted two years early. If anything, being the top of her class would only make her feel less normal than she already did.

"That was over four years ago." Violet downplayed the achievement, finishing her sentence with a small grunt of disapproval. "There have been far more capable students to graduate since me… and I'm retired. So it doesn't matter what spot I graduated at."

"O-Oh?" Despite herself, Ruby checked Violet over once again, silver eyes scanning for any kind of injury or disability that would have forced her into an early retirement. What she found instead, was that the elder woman appeared perfectly healthy. Unless she had some very convincing prosthetics, she had not quit because of an external injury.

"It was a personal decision." Violet must have noticed her glancing gaze, adding that on as more of an afterthought. As always, when the conversation wasn't directed at Jaune, her voice was short and harsh. "If I was still a Huntress, it would be impossible for me to take off the proper time to care for Jaune as his legal guardian."

"I don't need 'taking care of.' I told you I'm not leaving Beacon." Jaune shifted in his chair enough to look back at Violet and glare at her. "And don't make it sound like you quit just in order to look out for me. The way dad put it, you retired half a year before I even started Beacon." He said all of this directly to her, before turning around to grumble the last bit. "Not that you ever came to visit the rest of us to explain it yourself."

"Jaune…" Violet's voice wavered for a second and Ruby could have sworn she saw some form of pain reflected in her orange eyes, but it was gone almost as quickly as it came. "You're right. I should have come to see you all and for not doing so, I'm sorry."

Ruby tried to imagine what it would be like if Yang suddenly quit being a Huntress. No word or any kind of warning, she just quit and then never came to see her. It wasn't a pleasant feeling… and she would have been worried sick, wondering if her big sister was okay. Violet didn't seem like the type of person that would just quit without reason, however. At least… Ruby didn't get that impression from her.

"I wasn't looking for an apology." Jaune still wouldn't turn around to face her, but his voice lacked the previous heat it once had. "Stop here for a second." Violet did as asked and he then took control, spinning the chair and wheeling it to the edge of the path and towards a couple of drinking fountains.

Ruby hesitated, wondering if she should jog after to help him get a drink or just stand here awkwardly next to his eldest sister. Knowing that he was likely to refuse her help, anyways, she chose the latter and nervously shuffled so she was standing side-by-side with the older woman.

"Uhh- sorry?" Ruby offered, partly because she did feel bad about bringing up her huntress career, not knowing it was a potentially sore subject, but mostly just to see if it would be successful in striking up another conversation.

"It's fine." Violet dismissed it with nothing more than that, not even turning to glance at her. Ruby's eyes drifted to her feet and despite herself, let out a troubled sigh. Several moments of silence passed between them as they waited for Jaune, before Violet gave a sigh of her own. "...If I'm being honest, this is going better than I expected."

"Yeah?" Ruby turned back up to her excitedly, just happy to have Violet finally be the one to engage her with conversation. To her surprise, she found Violet looking down at her with an almost uncomfortable expression on her face.

"I wasn't a Huntress for any more than four years… but you see a lifetime of horrors in that time. So many of the people I went to school with are either dead or injured, some just as badly as Jaune." Ruby's smile deflated, having not expected such a morbid topic. Maybe Violet noticed this because the pace of her voice quickened.

"My point is, most of those injured in such a way- they change. Usually not for the better. And Jaune… well, he doesn't take setbacks well. Never has. I expected to come here and find him in a much darker place. I thought for sure he wouldn't even talk to me, let alone allow me to push him around in his wheelchair." Violet stared down at her hands and gave a soft smile. "It's such a relief seeing him try and hold onto himself."

"I-I think Jaune's mood has really improved. Since seeing you, that is." Violet let out a snort of disbelief and Ruby felt her cheeks puff up in a pout. "I'm being serious. Jaune… he withdraws into himself a lot. It's becoming harder for me to know what it is he's thinking. I never use to have that problem." She shot him a quick glance, careful to make sure he was out of earshot.

"It's gotten a little easier again. Now that you're here. Jaune really looks up to you. I can tell. He may seem angry about you retiring. I think that's just because he was worried. So he's relieved to see you're okay. That and be here for him. Even more so now, when he needs you so much."

Ruby couldn't help but feel a little bit jealous of their relationship. It was obvious to her that Violet was someone he looked up to with nothing but admiration. Something she felt like he could never do for her, especially since she was younger than him.

"You're… a good kid, you know that?" A strong hand pressed down on Ruby's head and ruffled her hair, exactly in the same way Yang always seemed so good at. Maybe it was just a big sister thing? When Violet pulled her hand back, there was a smile on her face exactly like what she gave Jaune, only now it was directed at her.

"I don't like the idea of Jaune dating. Even more so because of his condition." Ruby felt her heart begin to sink, until Violet continued. "However, I would be a fool to dismiss his relationship with you as a contributing factor to his better-than-expected mood."

"So…" Ruby couldn't help the hope that leaked into her voice, staring up at Violet with wide eyes.

"I'll approve of you as Jaune's girlfriend." No longer did her heart feel like it was about to sink into the earth, but instead soar towards the sky as a huge grin broke out across her face. "I will also warn you-" Her smile slipped, expecting some kind of threat about if she broke his heart.

"There are going to be times when Jaune is in a really bad place and you're not necessarily going to be able to help him out of it. The only thing you can do in situations like that is wait patiently and not give up…" Again, Violet reached forward and ruffled her hair.

"If you ever feel like things are really hard, come talk to me. I'm willing to listen to any complaints about my little brother that you have. After all, he can be quite the knucklehead." She said that last bit with a raised voice and Ruby turned to see Jaune rolling back.

"The two of you aren't conspiring my faults against me, are you?" He called back, a surprising hint of mirth to his voice. She thought he might still be brooding about his and Violet's argument, but then again, that was just kind of how family was. Ruby had forgiven Yang for things far more easily than she would have others.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Violet stepped around behind Jaune's chair and gripped his handlebars. Ruby went to step back in place behind her but was surprised to find Jaune's open palm extended out.

Unsure of what to do, she hesitantly reached forward and took it. His eyes scanned her questioningly and she knew almost immediately what he was silently asking. She grinned back, conveying that things had gone well with Violet. In fact, they went far better than she could have hoped given how they started. Jaune looked relieved, having obviously understood her silent message.

As Violet again began to push Jaune's chair, Ruby walked by his side, her hand still in his.

* * *

"Everything to your liking, Princess?" Amber ignored Qrow's jibe as she looked herself over in the mirror.

How Pyrrha Nikos wore that uncomfortable armor at all points of the day she had no idea. She couldn't stand the thought of being stuck in it for combat, let alone leisure and comfort like Pyrrha appeared to have done.

So the very first thing Amber had asked for once she finally accepted this situation she found herself in, was for a change of clothes. Preferably something similar to how she used to dress. To her relief, Ozpin and the others had been immediately compliant and re-outfitted her old attire to fit Pyrrha's body.

If Amber were being picky, she would have rather had Pyrrha's long hair cut as well. However, she wanted to make as little changes to the host body as possible, because she had every intent to return it once they found a way to get her out. So out of respect that this was in fact, not her body, she kept the hair but had put the metal ringlet away with the rest of Pyrrha's armor, leaving the long red hair to flow elegantly down her back.

"This should do." Amber finally answered Qrow's question, but felt a shiver run up her spine as the voice that left her wasn't her own. Getting over her appearance was one thing, no matter how weird it was to look in the mirror and see emerald eyes looking back. The sound of her voice being one she still didn't recognize- That was what disturbed her the most.

"That's good. Wouldn't want you to be uncomfortable." Qrow said this in a voice that suggested he really didn't care either way. Amber scowled at him through the mirror, but he didn't even seem to notice as he opened his flask and took an uncanny swig from it. _This_ was supposed to be her permanent bodyguard?

"Where are the others of your group?" Amber turned away from the mirror and began pacing around the edge of Ozpin's office. The view outside was breathtaking. She had never been somewhere this high before.

"The General has got an army to run… panic to cause." She glanced upwards and at the Atlesian fleet that still hung in the sky. Qrow may have been talking from personal feelings of animosity towards Ironwood, but his words did have merit. The tournament was over, so the army's presence must be causing some discord among the citizens here in Vale. It was only made worse because they couldn't tell them that the army was here specifically to protect her.

"Good ol' Glynda should be looking through the list of transfer students that had been attending for the tournament. See if any of them match your description of those that tried to take your power. It's a long shot, but it's reasonable to assume they knew your body was here and infiltrated Beacon that way to try and get close." Amber wasn't even sure how beneficial her description really was. Not only because of the illusions but the icy fear that gripped her heart whenever she tried to remember the attack. Sometimes the mere thought of it made her stomach flip.

"And Oz… well, he's working on a special case right now. Something real bad happened to a kid during the tournament and is what caused it to be canceled." It seemed like if he was working on it, wouldn't he be doing that here in his office? Of course, Amber would take just about any excuse not to be alone with this drunk, even if he did save her life.

"Was it the same people who attacked me?" She didn't really see how the two events could be correlated, but after what she had been through, she would believe just about anything anymore.

"You really don't know?" She turned on Qrow, at first thinking his words to be mocking, but when her eyes met his she saw he was genuinely curious. For some reason, he felt like she should already know the answer to her own question.

"I… don't think?" She answered slowly, unsure if she was just making herself sound really stupid for not knowing something so obvious.

"Hmm." Qrow made a small grunt and to her chagrin took another sip of his flask before finally answering. "The target of the guy that attacked the tournament was the very person you're inside of right now." Amber's eyes widened and she looked down at herself- or at Pyrrha. Things like that were really confusing. "The kid who ended up injured went down fighting to protect her. He was her partner and leader. You don't recall any of that?"

"No… I don't." Amber shook her head, fighting off the sudden impending migraine that happened whenever someone brought up something that should be in Pyrrha's memories. She opened her mouth to explain herself further but a ding from the elevator cut her off.

Finally, it looked like someone else was back.

That was what she thought until the door opened to reveal two students. At least, they might be students, both appearing to be around Pyrrha's age. The boy she actually thought was a girl for a second, given the pink highlight in his otherwise long black hair. The other she had no doubt was a girl thanks to her bright pink skirt.

"Ah damn…" Qrow muttered this too late to really change anything. The two on the elevator stopped short of getting off it, eyes widening and Amber realized they must recognize Pyrrha, although it might have taken a second with her altered appearance. Of course, lots of people would recognize Pyrrha given she was a famous champion, but if the sudden anger in their gaze was any indication, this was more personal than that.

"This is where you've been…?" The boy growled, voice lower than she imagined it would be, but maybe the tepid inflection had something to do with it.

"We won't let you run away again, Pyrrha." To Amber's horror, the girl said this while pulling out what looked like a grenade launcher.

Were these two… part of the group that attacked her and injured that other kid? Just the thought of that alone caused Amber to tense up and her Aura to begin swelling.

If they were here for a fight, she would give them one.

"Hold up! Hold up!" Qrow immediately jumped between the two groups, nearly stumbling and falling flat on his face in the process. "There seems to be some sort of misunderstanding here." He held up an open palm either way, slowly bringing them down in an attempt to diffuse the situation.

"You're the one who saved Jaune." The boy at least appeared to recognize Qrow, although that did little for the girl who still hadn't lowered that grenade launcher of hers. "...What's going on here?"

"Like I said, a misunderstanding." Qrow looked back and forth several times before his eyes lit up with an idea. If he wasn't such a drunk, Amber might have had some confidence in it. "You guys are upset because you can't find your teammate, I get it." Wait a second… these two were Pyrrha's other teammates? "However, this girl here isn't her."

"What are you talking about?" For a second, Amber thought Qrow was actually about to tell them the truth. Honestly, that was giving him way too much credit.

"Yeah, you see. This girl… is Pyrrha's cousin. From Mistral." Amber tried not to facepalm as that half-baked lie stumbled out of Qrow's mouth.

"Really? I didn't know Pyrrha had a cousin." And to her complete shock, the girl bought it. Unfortunately for them, the boy didn't appear quite so air headed and continued to stare at them with a dubious expression.

"Yep! Her cousin… uhh- Pytra!" Was that even a real name? You know what, forget it. Amber was done listening to this garbage.

"Qrow, that's enough." She stepped forward, placing a hand on his elbow and pushing it down so he was out of her way. The boy's eyes narrowed and even the girl seemed to realize the truth, that this was in fact not Pyrrha's cousin.

"...What are you going to tell them?" Qrow whispered not so subtly into her ear.

"The truth."

"Maybe we should talk to Oz about something like tha-" A quick glare from her shut him up. She was the Fall Maiden, not Qrow or Ozpin or anyone else. It was up to her to tell whoever it was she pleased about that.

When she looked back at the two students, she could see now that they were weary, but not so much angry. It was apparent to Amber that neither one of them wanted to be mad at Pyrrha, but she must have done something that had given them no choice. It was a shame then, she couldn't make up with them for her, but she had to try and bridge this gap.

Besides, she needed more allies than just this drunk.

"My name is Amber." She started and immediately noticed some of the hostility return to their expressions. "I know what you must think." She held up her hands defensively, showing them both her palms. "Just hear me out… and watch carefully."

There was only one way to convince them that she wasn't really Pyrrha. Although she hadn't much success since waking up in this new body. Tapping deep into that emptiness that was only half of what it used to be, she found her powers.

A veil of orange light blotted out the left side of her vision and she saw the two students recoil at the sight. Even with less power to gather than what she used to be able, she was still careful not to tap into too much, generating just enough to create a dark stormcloud in between her hands. Lightning surged within the cloud and flashed brightly. Then, it all vanished and she lost the connection.

As her vision returned to normal, a wave of fatigue overtook her and she nearly collapsed. "Whoa there." Qrow caught her and for once she didn't care about the stench of alcohol clinging to his very person. Well, that was a lie but it did bother her less than it normally would.

"Ren… what was that?" The girl stepped up to her teammate, hands gripping the side of his sleeve as they both stared at her with wide eyes. The boy she now knew as Ren could only shake his head.

"Who did you say you are again?" She smirked, despite the pure exhaustion she was feeling. It wasn't much of a display, but it appeared to have earned their temporary curiosity. Pushing off of Qrow, she once again managed to stand straight, sucking in a deep breath.

"Once again, my name is Amber… and I am the current incarnation of the Fall Maiden."

* * *

"So… let me make sure I have this straight." Ren's head hurt.

All he wanted was to find Pyrrha and talk some sense into her. If they had to use force to do it… well, that was why he brought Nora. Never in his wildest dreams would he imagine on the way to do that he would find out fairy tales were real and there was a secret organization dedicated to hiding and protecting them.

That was exactly what he got though as he and Nora sat on this side of Ozpin's desk. The stranger who looked like their close friend sitting opposite them.

"You… Amber-" It still felt weird to call this girl that looked and sounded exactly like Pyrrha by that name. Well, she didn't just look like Pyrrha. It _was_ Pyrrha, just not Pyrrha. Yeah… this was why he had a headache. "Were ambushed by three assailants on the road, one of which who wore a glove that could summon this... bug Grimm and tried to steal your power." He then gestured to Qrow, who he had just learned was also Ruby's uncle.

"Mister Branwen interrupted that process and they only took half your power which left you in a coma. So Ozpin, the _Headmaster_ of Beacon selected Pyrrha for whatever reason to become the new host of the Fall Maiden, something straight out of myth. However, because of whatever it is they did… you survived the Aura transfer and completely took over Pyrrha's body."

"That about sums it up, yeah." Pyrrha- Amber nodded matter-of-factly to everything Ren just said. "I'm surprised to find you're so understanding."

"Understanding?" Ren almost let out an uncharacteristic bark of laughter. Who could possibly understand any of what it was he just said? He didn't want to believe any of this. It would be so much easier just to say they were lying and demand Pyrrha come back with them.

...It was only because of how Pyrrha had been acting before that he was willing to even entertain this tall tale. If she had such a heavy burden on her mind, one she couldn't possibly share with anyone else, not even Jaune, let alone them, then all of her actions until now made sense. It was a little sad and probably somewhat telling that he was willing to buy this story simply so he had a reason to forgive his teammate.

Not to mention this also explained why their match of the tournament specifically had been targeted. What Ren had just chalked up to being bad luck was actually a disguised assassination attempt for Ozpin's Fall Maiden candidate. Too many pieces lined up for this whole thing to be one giant, crazy fabrication.

"You really don't recognize us, like at all?" Nora appeared to be taking this in more stride than he felt like he was able to, but then again this was Nora. The whole time Pyrrha- Amber talked she had this wide-eyed fascination plastered across her face. It was like a fairy tale was coming to life right in front of their eyes, just like the ones they used to hear at the orphanage.

At the same time, she looked deeply wounded. Nora may have been ready to do just about anything if it meant bringing Pyrrha back… but the only thing she wanted from her was an apology and an explanation. With those two things, Nora had been ready to forgive it all.

Now they'd gotten the explanation… but it came with the chance they may never hear the apology.

Amber shook her head, Pyrrha's head sadly. "This may be Pyrrha's body… but my Aura is suppressing hers. I can vaguely feel her, but it's like she's unconscious… dreaming. The only glimpses of her memories I've gotten so far are when I'm asleep. Most of it was just stuff from when she was a child, growing up in Mistral."

"She's definitely still in there, though?" Ren leaned forward, clasping his hands overtop Ozpin's desk. This was the important part. "If they put you back in your old body, Pyrrha should just wake up?" Instead of answering, Amber's eyes shifted uncomfortably before looking up at Qrow. Ren followed her gaze and the older man let out a tired sigh.

"General Ironwood is the one that brought the technology that's keeping Amber's body… stasis." He didn't use the word alive. "Frankly, I don't know enough about how it works to say what we can do. Who's to say if we try to put Amber's Aura back in her body, Pyrrha's doesn't just go with it?" Things like that were exactly what Ren was afraid of.

"Why haven't you guys already tried?" Nora asked, scratching her head in confusion.

"Nothing about my Aura has changed. If they put me back in now, I'll be in the exact same situation I was." To Ren that just meant she would be how Pyrrha was now; sleeping and with no control of her body. No matter how they sliced it, both of them couldn't be conscious at the same time.

"Why did your Aura push down Pyrrha's? It's her body, so that doesn't even make sense." Qrow's eye twitched at Nora's continuous questions, but he didn't vocally say anything against them. They did have a right to answers, after all, and now that they'd gotten part of the story, it didn't hurt to give them the full picture.

"Think of it like this." Amber didn't appear nearly as exasperated and even looked somewhat relieved by their presence. Maybe she was just happy to see that they were willing to believe her and all this crazy stuff? He couldn't say. "My Aura doesn't just have my own. It also contains the essence of the Fall Maiden. Even with only half of it left, this is still a millennia old power that is a part of who I am." Nora's eyebrows furrowed only further in confusion at the explanation.

"Essentially, her Aura has the weight of two people… or right now one and a half- so it's more dense than Pyrrha's, which is why she got buried under it." Ren supplied, checking to make sure he was explaining it right. Amber nodded, albeit with a complicated expression.

"Oh… I get it." Thankfully it appeared to be enough to satisfy Nora. Which only lasted for about a second before she went on to the next question. "So then the only way to cure you and put you back in your old body is to get the other half of your power back?"

"That's-" Amber hesitated again, looking unsure herself. It was painfully apparent to Ren how outside of her element even she was in all this. "I don't honestly know. I'm really hoping that's enough. You have to believe me… I want to get back into my own body and out of Pyrrha's just as much as you do."

Ren frowned before leaning forward and placing the palms of his hands against his forehead. Like Pyrrha and Jaune, Amber was a victim of something larger at play. It was easy to forget that and try to be mad at her, but that wasn't fair. He just didn't know what they were supposed to do about all this. He wanted to help, but had no idea how.

"What are we waiting for then?" Nora had no such doubts. "Let's go find the person that took your powers and get them back!" She stood up proudly while she declared this, no trace of hesitation in her eyes or voice.

"Nora…" He tried to reign back her expectations. "We don't even know if that will work. That's just the predominant theory."

"If that's our best chance then that's what we have to do!" Nora wouldn't be swayed, however. "This isn't just for Pyrrha, Ren. We need to do this for Jaune too." No matter how much he wanted to deny it, those words hit him like a ton of bricks.

Nora was exactly right. Jaune got injured because of all this, because people were treating others as pawns. He could throw blame around all he wanted, but that wasn't going to solve anything. The only thing he was interested in was keeping his team together, which meant bringing Pyrrha back.

"Alright." He nodded and turned to Amber. "What can we do to help?"

"You're serious?" Amber about jumped out from her seat, emerald eyes alight with happiness.

"Hold on a second- who said anything about letting them help out?" Qrow started to complain but didn't get to say more than that before Amber cut him off.

"They know everything now, wouldn't it be better to keep an eye on them by allowing them to aide in my protection?" Ren wasn't sure why, but this appeared to have been Amber's goal from the beginning. If she was desperate for more help, it made sense to recruit those stronger than the two of them, but he wasn't going to complain, seeing as he had personal stakes in this.

"Damn… I'm gonna get it later." Qrow could only grumble this before taking a long swig from a silver flask.

"So what is the plan?" Ren asked again as it would appear they were officially on the team. When Amber looked back at him, it was with a confident grin.

"There were three of them that attacked me last time. I'm guessing that same group is going to try again." That made sense to assume. Odds are they would try to keep the numbers that knew about the Maiden powers low… otherwise they risked mutiny. So it would probably be no more than those three again. That also meant the enemy wasn't expecting them to expand their numbers either.

"You can't like… sense the other half of your power or something?" Nora's hand rested on Magnhild like she was prepared to leap into battle at any given second.

"That would make this too easy." Amber shook her head, looking frustrated herself by the answer. "I have no way of knowing where they are. However, they attacked Pyrrha… which means they must know Ozpin has my body." If they knew Amber was here, of course they would come for her, having failed to get all of the power once.

"So rather than us going after them…" Ren started slowly, not entirely enjoying the implications, although it didn't sound like they had any other choice. When he paused, Amber finished the sentence for him.

"We wait for them to come to me."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** So a big chunk of this chapter just turned into what felt like info-dump.

Writing for Amber is kind of like writing for an OC, since we really don't know much of anything about her. I like to think I'm getting pretty practiced at that considering how many I write for already, but I don't feel like much of this conversation really helped flesh her out any as a character. Although I think the number of scenes with her will be limited anyways.

Speaking of OCs, Violet kind of continues to take up a lot of time with the scenes she is in. Hopefully that isn't too annoying as she's probably going to continue to play a fairly central role throughout the rest of the story.


	9. Chapter 9

Beta: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Falling Down**

 _Chapter Nine_

* * *

Ren didn't know how to explain any of what he learned to Jaune.

Well… that wasn't entirely true. He and Amber had discussed exactly what it was he would tell Jaune. The problem now was just doing it and hoping it went over well.

In the end, they decided that the best course of action would be to tell Jaune as little as possible, being extra sure not include anything about a girl with fairy tale like powers having taken over his partner and best friend's body. Jaune was in a bad enough spot as it was, no need to put even more on his shoulders, as he would no doubt only blame himself for Pyrrha having volunteered to take on this responsibility.

If everything went well, they would have Amber out of Pyrrha's body in no time and they could finally put this whole thing behind him, focusing together on being there for Jaune in his time of need. Of course, he had no idea how any of this was supposed to go well being they were waiting on the enemy to attack them first, leaving them only able to wait and react when the time came.

The problem with that was, Jaune needed them _now_. The panel to determine his enrollment at Beacon was only a few minutes away and none of them had been here for him the past twenty-four hours. He just really hoped Ruby had managed to stay close, because if he lost her too… Ren didn't even want to consider it.

So with as much haste as he could make, Ren hurried to the classroom they would be using to decide Jaune's future. When he made the last turn, it was with great relief he found Jaune and Ruby still waiting outside in the hallway, with no sign from Ozpin or any other kind of official.

"Jaune…" He gasped for breath as he jogged the last little distance, hunching over to catch his breath in front of his team leader. "I'm sorry. I'm late." He could only get two words out a time between gulps for air. Curse his poor cardio, something he really needed to work on.

"It's fine." Jaune's own response was short and he looked to be visibly sweating in his chair. No doubt the nerves from this upcoming trial were really starting to mount. If it didn't go well… it was possible JNPR would be without their leader, permanently.

"Where's Nora?" At this question, Ren tried not to grimace. Like it or not, one of them had to stay behind with Amber and it was decided Ren would be able to explain things to Jaune much better than she could. It was also worth noting, Jaune did not ask about Pyrrha, although Ren would have been surprised if he did.

"Nora… is at a briefing for a special mission she and I are being assigned to." Ren watched carefully for any kind of change in Jaune's face. Perhaps because he already looked so stressed as it was, but there didn't seem to be any. "It's bad timing, I know."

" _Bad Timing?_ " And there it was.

Every muscle in Ren's face had to actively exert itself so he didn't flinch at the exasperated tone Jaune gave. He really could have picked his worded better on this one as that had pretty much invited Jaune to say something.

"Do you have any idea what is happening to me, right now?" He assumed the question was rhetorical, but apparently not when Jaune answered it a moment later. "I'm on the verge of getting kicked out of Beacon. My time with you guys might be over for good and Nora's not here because you guys are being assigned on some mission?"

"Whatever happens in there doesn't change anything." In a rare display of assertiveness, Ren cut Jaune off. Both hands balled into tight fists and he stared down at his leader with unwavering loyalty. "Nora and I will always stand behind you. There's no one else we would rather follow." He meant those words from the bottom of his heart. It didn't matter if Jaune got to stay here at Beacon or not. He was his friend… and he was Nora's. If he thought for a minute Nora would ever let someone she considered her friend drift away, then he was about to learn how untrue that was.

No matter what he said, however, it was unable to convince Jaune because of one simple truth.

"If you really meant that, Nora would be here right now." Jaune's bitter words hit him like a slap in the face. "In the end, you two are going to abandon me the same way Pyrrha did."

"No-" Ren's voice hitched. If he knew what Pyrrha was going through, what they were doing to bring her back, he wouldn't be saying things like this. How was Ren possibly able to explain it in a way that made sense? Assuming he even abandoned their old plan and told Jaune the truth, what would it take to convince him to believe it? And would knowing the truth even make him feel better?

Ren had no idea. Which was the better option? Before coming here, he thought he knew the answer to that. Now he was more unsure than ever. The only thing he had wanted was to keep his team, his _family_ , from crumbling apart. Yet it seemed like every move forward only brought them closer to their inevitable destruction.

"Jaune, it's okay." While Ren continued to struggle and find the words he wanted to say, it was Ruby who stepped up for him. The younger girl's arms draped around Jaune, hugging him from behind and placing a light kiss on his cheek.

It was astonishing, watching the effect it had. The tenseness in his shoulders ebbed away and fists untightened, allowing blood to flow through his whitened knuckles once again. Even the glare subsided, not to the point where he looked apologetic or even remorseful, but enough that the animosity was at least tolerable. Instead of shouting any farther, Jaune just let out a long, deep breath as if trying to expel his anger that way instead.

"Think about what would happen if Nora were here. She wouldn't sit by. She wouldn't wait quietly out here for you. Nora would march right into that room and demand that you stay."

Ren could actually picture that. Nora kicking down the door, swinging her hammer around and making a mess of the whole room. If she thought there was even a possibility they wouldn't allow Jaune to maintain his enrollment, that was a very probable scenario.

"..." Jaune didn't say anything in response, but Ren could practically hear the gears whirling in his head as he played out that scene too. No matter how you looked at it, Nora doing something like that would only make the situation worse. For both herself and him. While at the same time Jaune would love to see Nora do something like that, even if it was misguided, all for his sake.

Ruby didn't add any of this aloud, simply allowing him to come to this conclusion all on his own. Ren had to admit, it was brilliant. It wasn't because Nora didn't care or was placing something else above him in priority… it was because she cared too much so she had no choice but to stay out of it.

The rhythmic tapping of a cane against the tiled hallway interrupted all their train of thought and prevented any further conversation. Ren turned to see Ozpin approaching them, walking to his left a girl who could only be Jaune's eldest sister. He had seen pictures of her in a family photo album Jaune had once shown them, but she was much younger in those. Her appearance hadn't changed much, purple hair still styled in a pony-tail and face set in a constant scowl.

"Are you ready, Mister Arc?" Ozpin stopped next to Jaune, leaning a hand on his shoulder.

"As ready as I'll ever be." The nerves looked to return full force, Jaune looking up at the headmaster as if begging him for guidance. Ozpin crouched down, leaning in close to discuss their expectations.

"You must be Lie Ren." Violet continued up to him, hand extending out.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Ren shook it, noting the firm grip she had. If he had to guess, he would say she was a Huntress. The very way she carried herself suggested strenuous training and a strict regime.

"Likewise. I appreciate you continuing to be here for my little brother. He speaks very highly of you and tells me you're like the brother he's never had." He knew Jaune had said that to him numerous times… but to even tell his own family that. It just proved how much he truly meant those words.

"I consider him the same." It only reinforced the desire to want to protect their team and keep them together no matter what the cost. Even if it was decided Jaune wasn't their official leader anymore, he would always be recognized and a part of team JNPR.

"That makes you and me family as well." Violet said this without hesitance. "If you ever need anything, call me and I will be there." There was no stipulation added or any kind of limit. She was genuinely telling him that no matter what the circumstance or problem he found himself in, she would help. The thing was, Ren didn't even doubt her for a second.

To Violet, this was what it meant to be family. He never had a big sister or any real family at all, Nora being the closest before JNPR, but if he did… this was exactly what he imagined it to be like.

"Violet, it is time." She turned to Ozpin when he called and gave a confident nod. It looked like this was it. When he next saw Jaune… the whole rest of his future could very well be determined.

"Ren…" Before they went in, Jaune rolled up to him, his hand extended out just like Violet's had been. Ren took it without a second thought, gripping so tight it was as if he meant to never let go. "I'm sorry for snapping at you." His voice was breathless and shaking. "I just… I don't want to lose you. Not after-"

"You never will." Ren cut him off, not wishing to force him to finish that sentence. "I'm with you to the end of the line, brother."

Jaune could only gave him a soft smile, eyes beginning to glisten. Reluctantly, Ren let go of his hand and allowed him to roll away. Ozpin held the door open for him as he went inside, Violet following close behind. The headmaster gave both Ren and Ruby a subtle nod before closing the door him.

"Thank you for that." Ren nodded to the only other person left. Ruby's initial response was to only shake her head and smile up at him. He really felt such simple gratitude wasn't enough. Had she not stepped in when she had, it was possible Jaune would have said something he would only come to regret. She had been the only one able to calm him down, where Ren had only struggled on how not to make it worse. It was maybe the first moment he could say he saw some similarity between Ruby and her half-sister.

"Does that mission you and Nora are on have anything to do with Pyrrha's?" Ren's head whipped around at the abrupt question, coming to stare at Ruby with wide, unexpecting eyes. Again, Ruby only continued to smile up at him, this time with a hint of sadness behind it.

How much did she know? It made some sense that she might be in the loop, considering her uncle was Amber's personal bodyguard. The way she phrased the question suggested she didn't really know much of anything. Of course, it could have been worded like that to give nothing away. Ruby had just proven earlier that she was more sly with phrasing than he originally thought her capable.

"Do you… know what Pyrrha's mission is?" He asked slowly, not sure how else to further broach the subject without one of them giving away what they knew first. To his relief, Ruby shook her head.

"The only thing I know is she might be gone for a while. Ozpin asked me to tell Jaune that but... he hasn't exactly brought her up, so I haven't." Ruby twiddled her thumbs, glancing between Ren and the door Jaune had just gone through.

Ren nodded several times, debating how best to explain. If they did succeed in separating Amber and Pyrrha, they would have to tell Jaune everything. Nothing short of the truth would satisfy him. He might be angry for having been left out… but if Ruby was there and knew too, maybe she could calm him down again. Ren would have to ask Qrow before making such a decision.

"The missions… are related." So for now, Ren settled to tell her only that. "I can't say anything more. I'm sorry." Ruby hummed softly and shook her head, not even a spark of curiosity present.

"It's okay. I may not understand… but there is one thing I do know. Which is good enough for me." Ren felt himself tense up only to again find himself both reassured and enthralled by the simple yet truly powerful maturity displayed by a girl two years younger than him.

"Every decision you make is to help Jaune. So I trust you. That's all I can do."

* * *

Entering a classroom was never something Jaune looked forward to.

Especially when it was on a test day. Those were always the worst. Sometimes the anxiety got so bad he even had trouble going to the bathroom. All of that was nothing compared to what he was feeling now. In some ways, this was kind of like the ultimate test. One that if he failed… he would never be allowed to enter one of these classrooms again.

It was a really good thing he wasn't taking this test on his own then. As he rolled down the handicap ramp, he glanced back at Ozpin and Violet who travelled silently behind him. According to the headmaster, Jaune wasn't expected to say much of anything during this panel.

If he was asked any questions, he was only supposed to answer with a simple yes or no. This whole thing was going to be transcribed so anything Jaune said, might be used against him later.

Reaching the bottom, he turned towards those who would decide his fate. Three men sat behind a long table which had been placed in the middle of room. Standing off to either side of them were what appeared to be security of some sort and positioned at the end of the table was a woman with a computer.

"Ozpin." One of the men greeted with a voice both loud and stern, rising up from his chair. Ozpin stepped around the table and moved to shake their hands, an act they seemed to only reciprocate out of necessity. Jaune didn't recognize any of them but that wasn't exactly saying anything. Somehow or another, these three had the power to determine his enrollment, which made them even more powerful and influential than Ozpin, the headmaster.

The only people he knew that fit the bill were Vale's council, but it seemed weird they would be here just for his case. While they all exchanged these begrudged greetings, Jaune tuned them out, rolling up to the table and placing his hands atop it. He did his best to bring his breathing back under control and to stop his arms from shaking, but wasn't having any kind of success.

Violet's hand came to rest on his shoulder and he took some solace in her touch, but it was only a small distraction at best. There wasn't anything that would calm him down until all of this was over.

"Shall we begin?" The seat next to Jaune pulled out, scraping against the floor with a loud screech, before Ozpin slipped into it. Violet took the one on the opposite side, placing him between the two of them. In response to Ozpin, one of the men cleared his throat and began shuffling through a short stack of papers shared between them.

"Stating this for the record." He began in a deep baritone voice. "This panel today has been convened following the terrorist attack on the Amity Coliseum. During this attack, Jaune Arc of Beacon Academy suffered severe trauma to the spinal column and has been as such, rendered paraplegic. Paraplegia as being defined on page five of our findings report."

Jaune felt himself wince involuntarily at the words which so blantly described him now, as if there were no feelings or emotions behind it at all. While the man read this off, the girl behind the computer typed at a rapid pace. This was what Ozpin meant when he said everything would be transcribed, then.

"The purpose of this meeting is to inform Jaune Arc of the decision this council has come to, regarding not only his future enrollment at Beacon Academy, but to also discuss his eligibility for a disability claim and/or any other financial compensation by taking into consideration the nature of his injury and the conflicts that will present in future career eligibility."

The way that was worded, it sounded to him like they had already decided whether or not he would be allowed to remain at Beacon, which wasn't what Ozpin had promised. He was told they would be able to present their case… make an argument so they could see his side of it. White hot anger boiled in the pit of Jaune's gut and before he even realized it his mouth was open halfway to tell them all just that, but a firm squeeze from Violet's hand- which still remained on his shoulder- cut him short.

"Now then, Jaune Arc is presently sitting before us today. Mister Arc, we ask that you verbally confirm your presence with us and acknowledge everything previously stated. If you would like any of it repeated, please state so now. Otherwise, we'll take your acknowledgment as a confirmation to continue."

What exactly was it they wanted him to say? Jaune's stomach felt like it might cramp, that previous burning anger changing drastically to a cold sweat. All eyes in the room were turned towards him. The fingers belonging to the girl at the computer hung frozen in the air as she waited to record whatever it was he said. Not able to turn any other part of his body, blue eyes glanced desperately at Ozpin.

The headmaster merely nodded, voice pantomiming only one word of which he wanted Jaune to repeat. Remembering everything he had been told before, Jaune took in a deep, shaky breath before refocusing his attention once again to the three men in front of him.

"Y-Yes." Never had his own voice sounded so foreign to him, like he wasn't in any control of it at all. He really hoped that girl wasn't going to include the stutter as part of his response either.

"Jaune Arc acknowledges." The man flipped over a sheet, moving onto a second one. "Now then, because Mister Arc is considered a minor by Vale Kingdom law it is also required that a parent or legal guardian be present today. We have before us, Violet Arc, who is here to fulfill that role as Jaune Arc's legal guardian. Can we have your verbal acknowledgment, Miss Arc?"

"Yes." Unlike Jaune, his eldest sister answered immediately and without any trace of hesitance. God he wished he could borrow some of her confidence right about now. At least allow him to feel some small measure of control.

"Violet Arc acknowledges. Finally, we also have before us today, acting as Mister Arc's legal counsel for these proceedings, Mister Ozpin. As previously done, can we have your verbal acknowledgment?"

"Yes."

"All three parties representing Mister Arc have acknowledged and we may now proceed." Again, the man flipped over the page he had been reading from. Before he began reading from the next one, he pulled out a small folder from the bottom and slid it across the table. Violet shared a quick glance with Ozpin before wordlessly accepting it. She did not open the file, instead turning her attention back to them.

"I have just presented to Miss Arc a copy of our fact-finding report. Listed inside of it is all the information we collected and compiled with relevance to our decision on the matters previously mentioned." Just like before, it was evident by the words they used that some kind of decision had already been reached. What was he even doing here, if they were just going to tell him what their decision was? Did they even plan to hear out his side of the story?

"That decision reads as follow-"

Apparently not, as the very next words were the thing he had been dreading since waking up in the hospital.

"Jaune Arc is hereby expelled from Beacon Academy."

No matter how prepared he thought he was, those words hit him like a freight train to the gut. It actually felt like he might physically throw up and the world began to spin.

"This was the unanimous conclusion we came to after reviewing all the information presently available to us. In further continuation, we have determined that Jaune Arc is to be permanently blacklisted from any and all Huntsmen Academies with the intent of pursuing further training."

"What!?" To his own surprise it was Violet who lost her cool first as she began to rise from her chair. The two guards shifted uncomfortably, but as if catching herself halfway up, Violet jerked to a stop. With a deep, controlled breath she slid back down and gave a barely restrained nod. "I'm sorry, continue." Her voice hid none of the tepid inflection it held and orange eyes glanced at the closed file place just under her balled up fist.

"In regards to disability." The committeeman continued as if the interruption never even occurred. "Jaune Arc is not to be eligible for any aid provided by a Kingdom or Huntsmen funded institution. Finally, there will be no financial compensation offered to Jaune Arc at this time; neither in the form of a settlement nor an annual fund."

That was it… he was done.

All the anger, fear, insecurity, nausea, everything he had been feeling up until that moment slipped away into nothing. With a blank, wide-eyed stare he slumped back into his chair, shoulders deflating in complete and utter defeat.

Without disability checks or some other kind of compensation there was nothing he could do. All dreams of getting the use of his legs back were gone with those two things. Even if he had them together, it would've been a long shot. Of course, none of that mattered in the first place because his dreams were shot down with those first two stipulations alone. Not only was only done at Beacon… he could never apply at any of the other schools either.

"Now that you have heard our conclusion, we will listen to your argument in attempt to appeal any or all of our decisions. Depending on if any new information comes to light, we will compile it with the rest of our file and give you an updated copy at a later date, along with any revisions to these decisions."

The first response given wasn't a word. Instead it was the very loud, terrifying snapping of wood.

A hunk of the table next to Jaune splintered and sent woodchips whistling through the air. Violet had been gripping the edge so hard it had finally given way, breaking under the pressure of her enhanced strength. Aura so large and powerful radiated off her, that he could feel it wrap around him and it began to lift her shirt and hair, as if imitating a small breeze.

"There had better be-" Her voice was so heated and underlying with such terrible rage, even Jaune could feel his sense of fear begin to return. That was made more impressive by the fact it wasn't aimed at him. He could only imagine what the committee it was being directed at felt as even their guards took hesitant steps back. "-a really damn good reason listed in this report for why you're treating my little brother like a criminal and not some kid who was attacked by a terrorist that our government _failed_ to stop."

They couldn't even find the strength to open their mouths in order to offer some kind of excuse and the girl at the computer hadn't typed a single word Violet uttered, sliding as far out of the way as feasibly possible.

Instead, it was the voice of Ozpin that had the fortitude to speak over his terrifyingly angry sister.

"What I believe Jaune's loving and protective guardian is trying to articulate-" It was astounding how he was able to ignore Violet's piercing gaze like it wasn't trying to melt him into a puddle of blood. "Is that your fact-finding report seems to be overly skewed to focus on the negatives in Mister Arc's actions, and none of the positives."

"D-do elaborate…" The man furthest from Violet was the first to find his voice, but even though his words were directed at Ozpin he continued to eye his sister wearily. Not that he could blame them, because she had yet to sit down and instead remained hunched over the table as if to pounce over it at any second.

"I happened to notice when looking over the copy you sent me yesterday-" Ozpin lifted his cane and patted the folder placed in front of Violet. "That there was no mention of the heroic feats Jaune performed that day. Need I remind you he alone remained conscious when seven other Hunters-in-training were rendered unconscious after only the initial shock? Which is to say nothing of the fact that he continued to fight for a short time after of which he sustained several more direct attacks from those weapons the SDC had been developing specifically to take down terrorists such as the one who used them."

"Y-yes… Mister Arc certainly does possess the raw power and impressive Aura previously displayed by previous and _current_ generations of his family." The last of the three men finally spoke, only finding his voice after Ozpin's words seemed to have a small but noticeable simmering effect on Violet's temper.

"Indeed then." Ozpin tapped his cane on the table again, this time causing it to give a reverberating slap that caused everyone but Violet to flinch. "Allow me to continue to harness that potential here at Beacon. The surgery may be an expensive and potentially risky investment, but Mister Arc has proven with his Aura reserves and tenacity to be more than capable of coming out on top. So he is worth placing our bets on. I personally guarantee you that when he graduates from this academy… he will be a force the Grimm couldn't hope to trifle with."

Jaune had never felt so much like a bystander, even when fighting alongside his team during initiation. Ozpin was arguing these points for his sake, and yet he couldn't even bring himself to feel proud about what was being said. Nor could he bring himself to get angry when the committee found a way to refute him.

"You're getting ahead of yourself, Ozpin. You keep talking about Mister Arc's actions like they were somehow deserving of praise. I believe you even went so far as to use the word 'heroic' in your inapt reasoning. The fact of the matter is, even if Mister Arc had managed to remain standing, the only thing he did was make that terrorist look like more of a threat than he really was. Mister Arc's failure to bring the situation under control nearly resulted in worldwide panic that brought Grimm to every Kingdom's doorstep."

"I know you are not accusing my brother of being the one at fault for a _terrorist_ doing what it is terrorists do." Even if Violet's Aura was no longer flaring, her voice still was. "He's a kid in training. He shouldn't be expected to deal with a situation like that, not yet."

"His _training_ or lack thereof is the crux of the problem." Violet's eyebrows furrowed at the ambiguous statement, but she didn't get a chance to ask what he meant before he gestured once more to the folder. "Located in our report are two documents that were the most influential in our decision-making process."

She was able to ignore the folder no more, spinning it around and flipping it open to glance through all the pages inside. She flipped through the first dozen without so much as even a second glance. It wasn't until one document in particular stuck out like a sore thumb that her fingers stopped dead, eyes widening as they glanced at it over and over again, becoming more confused with each subsequent pass through.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jaune only caught a small glimpse of the document she was looking at, but the moment he did, a low, subdued moan slipped past his lips. Violet looked back at him, orange eyes asking why that file was there. He couldn't bring himself to return her gaze, eyes darting to the floor where they remained transfixed.

"Why…" So Violet turned her voice back to the men before them. "Why do you have my old transcripts? What do they have to do with my little brother? If it's only to compare us, I hardly see how that's relevant."

"You really don't know?" They sounded surprised themselves by Violet's own bewilderment, if not slightly suspicious. "Look at the next page." Still refusing to look back at her, he could only hear her shuffle the papers over. And then- her breath hitch.

"Jaune… explain this to me." Her voice wasn't angry. Not yet anyways. Actually, this was worse. He would take anger to the betrayal underlying her tone now. "Why, Jaune? Why are your transcripts an edited version of mine?"

He could imagine the expression on her face. The hurt and the shock. At finding out he was a fake… a cheat. Just like she must have always known he was all along.

"Do mom and dad know? They didn't think it was weird when you were accepted?" He didn't know. They seemed so unsure about his acceptance themselves. The only thing they had told him was it was okay to come back home. That was before all this. Now they had passed him onto Violet who might not even want anything to do with him herself after discovering this deception.

"Jaune! Look at me!" He refused to do so. Even when her hand gripped his shoulder and the other came around to rest on his cheek, trying gently despite the situation to turn his eyes up to her.

"Jaune… please." It was only when her voice cracked, sounding like she might cry that he couldn't ignore her any longer. Violet _never_ sounded like that, so defeated and wounded. That she would because of him…

"Violet. I'm sorry." The expression of hurt on her face was worse than he could have ever imagined. He had let her down in one of the worst ways possible, stealing her transcripts and using them to get accepted. Only to then get put in this wheelchair. "This wasn't your fault… I-I took them from your old room. I just… I wanted to get in so badly but I knew I wasn't good enough. The only thing I wanted was to make you proud… I thought maybe if I used your transcripts I could be more like you. I didn't think-"

"That's exactly right. You didn't think." She cut him off, the harshness in her tone alone enough to cause him to flinch. He thought for sure if she didn't already have a hand on his cheek that she would have slapped him. So it was only to his confusion when that harshness vanished with her next words and the hand on his cheek to begin caressing him instead.

"You didn't… no one said you had to become a Hunter to make me proud of you, Jaune. And I especially never wanted you to be like me. I've always been proud just watching you try your best while being you."

"Violet…" What else could he say in response to that? He had let her down in just about every way possible in the worst ways possible. Yet she still forgave him and was willing to say she was proud of him, instead of abandoning him like he was so certain she would. He… didn't deserve to have her as a sister.

"Eh-um." An uncomfortable clearing of the throat interrupted their moment and Violet was forced to turn away from him, going once more back to her seat. Without her holding his head up, Jaune's gaze instinctively returned to the floor.

"As we were saying…" One of the men continued awkwardly at first, voice beginning to pick up steam as he went. "Jaune Arc lacked the sufficient training to even be in the arena that day. Even if he has the 'raw power' as my colleague put it, he lacked the proficiency to properly wield it. Not to mention that because of Jaune Arc's deception he took a spot at Beacon Academy that could have been filled by someone with actual credentials."

"Forgery is a very serious crime." Another one picked up where the last left off. "If Mister Arc were not a minor, but an adult, this would be a very different conversation in a much less appealing place. You should be grateful we took his age into consideration and are _not_ pursuing him as a criminal, as you seem to imply we are."

For perhaps the first time in his life, he witnessed a moment when Violet didn't have anything to say in response. It looked like he was good and truly done. What would he tell Ruby? Would she even still want to be with him… or would she leave him just like he feared Violet would have?

"I knew about his transcripts."

Silence.

For several very long seconds, no one said anything to that. It didn't even occur to Jaune right away who it was that even spoke. It was only when Ozpin let out an uncharacteristic laugh that Jaune realized it had been him.

"...What?" His voice overlapped with at least two others and he could no longer remain staring at the ground. Ozpin sat there, looking perfectly composed, like he hadn't just said something completely outlandish.

"I said, I was aware that Mister Arc's transcripts were fake." Ozpin reiterated, leaving no room for doubt this time. Again he chuckled, like this whole situation was somehow funny. "I do not see why you are so surprised. Violet Arc was one of the best students this academy ever produced. She left quite the impression… so of course I would recognize her transcripts the moment I saw them. What's more, that they belonged to her brother was only more suspicious. How could I not have known?"

"Ozpin…" The tone in the man's voice made his intent clear. He wanted him to quit talking, but why? Jaune didn't see how it was relevant whether or not Ozpin knew he was a fake. That didn't change the fact that he committed forgery. Even if he didn't understand, Violet did.

"...We could sue." Her voice was low at first and he wasn't sure he heard her right. He turned just in time to see her jump from her chair, hands slapping down on the table with new resolve. "I'm no expert in law, so correct me if I'm wrong." Her voice strong and clear, just like he was used to hearing it. "But if Ozpin accepted Jaune, knowing he was an untrained civilian, doesn't that mean Beacon unlawfully exposed a minor to dangerous and potentially life-threatening combat situations? In which case, Jaune is entitled to a settlement provided by the Kingdom of Vale and if you deny him that, we could sue."

"T-the law you are referring to was put into place after an unfortunate incident regarding one of our failed expansions that turned into a warzone. It was a horrific event where civilian children were turned into soldiers. It was not made for situations such as this." Despite saying that, even the man that spoke looked unsure while the other two hurriedly discussed in a hush behind his back.

"Certainly there is no precedent for The Beaurevoir Act being applied in such a way." Ozpin's tone was outright smug, even going so far as to refer to the law by name. He had known this was going to come up. Jaune vaguely recognized the name from Oobleck's history class. That must have been the name of the expansion that employed child soldiers.

"However, by happenstance I came across it in my readings last night and I found that it is worded in such a way that this very situation Mister Arc finds himself in applies. You are welcome to double-check my work… or if you want, we can take this case directly to court. I am sure a jury would be likely to side with you, rather than with the poor boy they watched have his back broken on national television while trying to defend them."

"Are you threatening-" He never got to finish that question before the other two pulled at his sleeve. He glanced between them and Ozpin several times before reluctantly joining them in their hushed conversation.

"Ozpin, that was genius." Violet stepped around Jaune, whispering directly into the headmaster's ear. "I've really underestimated you all this time." His sister was the only one he knew that would say that right in the face of one of the most powerful men in the world.

"Don't thank me just yet." Ozpin's smug expression slipped, turning serious. "The law is quite old. The settlement offered at the time of its ratification was considered nominal even then, but I believe they will have to take inflation into consideration."

"Yes, but doesn't it also include some kind of disability claim? They couldn't have expected those kids with war wounds to get by without that." His words did little to dissuade Violet's enthusiasm.

"There is and while it's a step up from what you would have received before, it is still lacking compared to what wounded Hunters and Huntresses get." In other words, the disability would be enough for him to live, but not enough to get him the surgery he needed and it didn't sound like the settlement would be even close to enough to fill the gap. Although he suspected Violet wasn't as concerned about that as he was.

"How does this law apply to me exactly?" Jaune didn't really get it, but somehow they were trying to make him out as some sort of conscripted child soldier. He failed to see how that worked in his favor when that was what Beacon did; train children to fight monsters.

"When students get accepted into Beacon, their citizenship status is changed from that of civilian to Hunter-in-training." Violet tapped at her old application which still sat on the table. "In order for the Kingdom to lawfully make that change, it has to be well-established that the applicant meets the proper qualifications. That's why it's so difficult to get accepted to Beacon or any of the academies in the first place."

"The moment I admitted that I both knowingly and willingly enrolled you into this school despite realizing that you did not meet those qualifications-" Ozpin continued where Violet left off. "You returned to being a civilian, because of my misconduct. That change in status is what then allows us to call on The Beaurevoir Act."

So essentially they were exploiting at least two different laws to create some kind of loophole. That was about the only part of their explanation Jaune really understood.

"Okay, we've come to an agreement." All their attention returned to the councilmen in front of them. "Jaune Arc… shall now be entitled to a settlement and disability claim determined by The Beaurevoir Act of Vale. We will contact you at a later date with an exact sum of the settlement and the allowance allocated by the claim, if that pleases you."

"I'm sure it will come included with this updated fact-finding report." Violet nodded to the open folder for emphasis, earning displeased frowns from all three men.

"If you find the monetary determinations to be agreeable at the time, the matter will be considered resolved. If not… we will proceed from there with the legal steps necessary." Which he supposed meant that they would go to court. They hadn't answered the most important question, however.

"My enrollment at Beacon…?" He hated the pleading that was in his voice.

"You're a civilian, Mister Arc." He knew it. The very argument Ozpin used to secure him financially also permanently shut down his chances at ever completing his Huntsmen education. "You will also still be denied acceptance in the future, at Beacon or any of the other academies." Even if by some miracle he was able to afford the surgery, he could never achieve his dream.

"...There is also one more thing." There was more? Jaune didn't think his heart could take any more. He was tired of it all, not even having the strength to be angry. Why couldn't they just leave him alone, wasn't he suffering enough?

"Ozpin, this was your third and final strike."

Huh?

They hadn't been talking to him? Jaune looked up, glancing in surprise at Ozpin along with his sister. Contrary to them, he took this news without even blinking… like he expected it.

"We warned you that we would have a discussion about your position once the festival came to a close… and considering everything that happened over the course of it, including your decision to knowingly accept an untrained civilian, we feel it would be best if you were relieved from your position. Glynda Goodwitch will be placed in charge pro tem, at least until we can determine if she would make a better fit for this Academy among other candidates."

Ozpin… was getting fired? All because he had decided to stick up for him? They couldn't be serious about doing this for just that, right? Ozpin had successfully run Beacon probably longer than Jaune had been alive. And they were going to turn their backs on him just like that? Then again, maybe this outcome shouldn't surprise him after all. He'd seen firsthand how easy it was to have someone you trusted with your life turn on you.

"You and Mister Arc have twenty-four hours to vacant the academy premises. If you have anything else you would like to add, now would be the time." With that last sentence, it looked like everything was over. Jaune was leaving Beacon but it didn't look like he would be doing so alone.

"Ozpin…" Even Violet looked and sounded unsure by these turn of events, hand half-raised towards the headmaster. He shook his head at her, as if trying to say everything was fine. How was he possibly able to think like that right now?

"If you feel that decision is for the best." Ozpin accepted it just like that. "I would like to state for the record, I do not regret my decision. Mister Arc saved no less than seven lives in the arena that day. I am convinced if anyone else had been in his place, the outcome would have been much worse and those Grimm incursions you are worried about… they would have happened."

Jaune wished he could say those words made him feel better. He wanted so badly for them to mean something more than the hollow, empty feeling they left him with right now. It didn't matter what Ozpin thought because no one else felt it was better that he was there that day. If they did, he would be able to walk and Ozpin wouldn't be losing his job.

"In my eyes, Jaune is nothing short of a hero… and if I had to give up my position to prove that, so be it."

What the Hell did it even mean to be a hero? Jaune thought he had always known the answer to that before now. If this was what happened to heroes, forsaken and turned away for doing what they thought was right, then his dreams had been just like his transcripts… nothing more than a lie.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** Disclaimer, I know very little about how law proceedings like what happened in this chapter would actually go. I had to sit through a deposition once about five years ago which is about the extent of my knowledge unless you count listening to my mom watch Law & Order. Of course, I'm sure anyone with the slightest amount of legal knowledge picked up on this right away while reading the chapter.

So I kind of took advantage of this being set in an alternate world in regards to laws and the way this whole meeting progressed. Hopefully it all sounded somewhat convincing, despite my shortcomings, limited knowledge, and random world-building.

I also know the reasoning of those against Jaune seems pretty screwed up. After all, Jaune saved people so why are they punishing him for it? Their reasoning is pretty simple: It doesn't matter what good he did, Jaune broke the law. Forgery is considered a pretty severe offense and it does stand to reason that under normal circumstances he took the spot of someone who actually deserved that place he filled. So yes, his actions helped people but that doesn't mean how he got there was right.

Of course, the biggest flaw in this logic is I don't know for sure what powers Ozpin has as the Headmaster. It might be possible he can let whoever he wants in for whatever reason, I don't know. This is why I created a set of laws and circumstances used for this chapter that clearly states that he can't do that. So I did try to make this seem like, if not the most-logical, then most-legal choice for them to make, even though I know it must feel like the story is just trying to shit on Jaune, which to be fair it kind of is.

That was also why I tried cutting him a break the last couple chapters because this one was quite a doozy on his mentality. I've also kind of noticed a theme in my writing here... those that read my other stories might too. I have a tendency to either kick Jaune out of Beacon or come up with some reason he's never even able to attend. I'm kind of starting to wonder if I'm trying to project something here... Oh well.

Beaurevoir Castle is where Joan of Arc was initially imprisoned after capture in case you were curious where the name came from. In this story, it was a failed Valean Expansion that instead of evacuating its children put them to battle against a Grimm Invasion in which most of them were either killed or injured, leading to the ratification of a law named after it that Ozpin then takes advantage of.


	10. Chapter 10

Beta: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Falling Down**

 _Chapter Ten_

* * *

"I'll come and visit you as soon as I can! Promise!" Ruby declared this for at least the third time since they arrived at the airship docks. Which was now where he and a small group waited for the ship that would take him away from Beacon… permanently.

His girlfriend stood in front of him, twiddling her thumbs and swaying back and forth by the balls of her feet. Somewhere in the back of Jaune's mind, he acknowledged that she might not be acting quite so anxious and making the same promise over and over again if he could muster up the enthusiasm to react to her.

"Yeah…" His attempt was desolate at best. He sounded like a zombie even to his own ears, not that he could bring himself to care. It felt like he used a huge pool of energy just to say that one meager word.

"You're welcome anytime." In lieu of his pathetic response, Violet stepped up to Ruby, resting a hand on her shoulder. What she had done to earn this kind of familiarity from his eldest sister, Jaune would likely never know. He'd never seen her so open to the idea of him dating before, let alone willing to be this nurturing towards it. In a way, she kind of reminded him of their mother, which he supposed Violet practically was at this point, seeing as she had custody of him now.

What's more, Ruby seemed to take immediate comfort in Violet's touch. It was the exact opposite effect Violet had on most people. His sister wasn't exactly the most… easy person to deal with. Even at her best she was blunt and matter-of-fact. Combine that with her strict voice and constant glare and she gave Professor Goodwitch a run for her money in being able to intimidate others. Not Ruby though.

"That offer extends to all of you." Violet directed these words to the other three people present. Ren and Nora stood off to the side, both of them having managed to see him off before that mission they were going on began full-time. Ozpin was the last one she was addressing, the former headmaster of Beacon waiting for his own ride away from the Academy now that he was no longer welcome here.

Ozpin had thrown away his job for him… and yet he couldn't even bring himself to be grateful for it. He didn't want to receive money… he wanted to be a Huntsmen. That would never happen now. It would take him years to pool up his savings to afford the surgery necessary to get his spine fixed and years after that just to get the physical therapy needed to walk even normally, forget strenuous combat. Not that he could ever get his license now anyways.

"It looks like our ride is here." Violet noted just as Jaune heard the airship that would take him to his new home docked. She placed both hands on the handles of his wheelchair and leaned down to his ear. "You should at least say goodbye. I don't… want to see you have any regrets about the way you left."

It was too late for that.

"Bye." He grumbled under his breath, not even sure if anyone actually heard him.

"You'll always be our leader, Jaune." Ren stepped forward first, resting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing tight. "Nothing that happened has changed that."

"Yeah! We'll follow you to the depths of Hell!" Nora skipped next to him and place her hand overtop Ren's. Her normally infectious grin did nothing to lift his spirits and he could only nod absentmindedly to their reassurances.

"I'll call you tonight." When they both stepped back, Ruby leaned forward one last time and placed a small peck on his cheek.

"Hmm." He gave a small grunt of acknowledgment and tried to smile at her, but it was strained at best. Even so, her face brightened at the effort.

"You boarding with us, Oz?" Violet started to turn his chair but stopped.

With a shake of the head, Ozpin took a sip of his coffee. "I've made separate arrangements for my departure so I will be heading out after you. However, I will be sure to keep that open invitation in mind." He held up his mug and gave an exaggerated wink.

Violet inclined her head. "I meant it. What you did for Jaune is a debt I can't easily repay."

"There is no debt owed." Ozpin's voice was suddenly sharp, leaving no room for argument. "I was simply trying to atone, in my own little way."

Jaune looked up at him, truly making eye contact with someone for the first time since the verdict had been issued. He could see Ozpin felt responsible for everything that had happened to him… somehow, Jaune even felt like he was taking blame for his final conversation with Pyrrha.

Maybe in a way it truly was all on Ozpin. He knew his transcripts were fake. Yet he accepted him anyways. How easy would it be to lash out at him, scream and blame him for all his misfortune. Ozpin would probably take it all without blinking. Jaune supposed that was something he did want to do. The only reason he didn't was because he was just too tired of it all. He was tired of being angry, tired of being stuck in this chair, tired of Beacon, and tired of being reminded of all this.

So instead of shouting or screaming, he could only give another small grunt, a verbal acknowledgment that he knew Ozpin tried. And a glare of contempt, because he had also failed.

* * *

Ruby shifted uncomfortably, eyes glancing between the departing airship that was taking Jaune away from her… and the former headmaster who was watching that same sight.

There hadn't been much emotion from Jaune at all and she was afraid he had completely shut down. It was only Violet's reassurance from the previous day that Ruby held onto that allowed her to keep smiling through the whole thing. She couldn't give up on him right now. He was of course upset and naturally despondent, considering the news.

That final look he had given Ozpin, however. Ruby felt herself shiver just thinking about it, glad it hadn't been directed at her, no matter how bad that thought made her feel after. She had never seen such raw hatred in a person before, let alone for it to come from someone so close to her.

Ozpin didn't even look bothered by it. He was so unfazed, Ruby almost would have thought she imagined it, if the impression it left on her hadn't been so powerful. That fury was so silent and terrible, it hit with more impact than any of his shouting tantrums or sarcastic quips had ever come close to evoking. That was because this time it had a direct source. His frustration before had just been thrown about randomly, lashing out because of his situation. Now, it was all focused solely on one person.

Someone who didn't even deserve it. Ozpin had only tried to help Jaune, surely he must have known that. It was that White Fang Lieutenant that had caused all this, but he was gone. Jaune couldn't take his anger out on him so he was taking it on the only other person he felt like he could. Even being able to understand and rationalize Jaune's train of thought didn't make it any easier to swallow.

That look hadn't come from the Jaune she knew and loved, but someone else. Someone born from this tragedy. What was so terrifying about that thought was the notion that one day this new person may consume her boyfriend entirely. Something Ruby wasn't prepared to let happen.

"I guess… we shall take our leave then." Ren was the first one to speak after Jaune and Violet's departure. He and Nora turned away from the shrinking ship and looked to Ozpin, as if asking his permission for something. He adjusted his glasses and gave them a nod without turning his head. Whatever it was about, Ruby guessed it had to do with that secret mission they had been assigned to.

"See ya around, Ruby." Nora gave a subdued wave which she returned before the two of them began to walk back to the academy. Leaving Ruby alone with Ozpin.

"It's uh… not going to be the same here, without you." She still couldn't believe Ozpin had been fired. What's more, he had done it to help Jaune, giving up his position and power just to secure a small condolence for one of his students.

"Honestly, things will probably run even more smoothly with Glynda in charge." Ozpin gave a mirthful chuckle, sipping at his coffee. "This change may be a benefit for the school. Lord knows I'm looking forward to having some time to relax for once." He glanced sideways at her, and she could see the twinkle in his eyes.

She couldn't help but smile herself, feeling a small weight lift from her shoulders. It was hard not to feel a sense of relief when someone finally seemed capable of putting some humor into this whole situation. She didn't know how badly she needed to hear someone make a joke until after one was made.

"If you think for a minute," The sharp voice of Glynda behind them caused both to jump. "That I'm going to let you take it easy, than you have got another thing coming." The current headmistress of Beacon strolled purposely in their direction, face all business.

"Ah, Glynda." Ozpin held up his mug in greeting. "I see you're settling into your new role nicely."

"No thanks to you." Glynda stopped not even two inches from him, glaring up from point-blank proximity. "How you managed to run this place as you did, I have no idea. Do you know how many _months_ we are behind on the paperwork?"

Instead of answering her question, Ozpin looked back over at Ruby, winked, and mouthed, _"You see, I told you; much more smoothly."_ Ruby let out an involuntary giggle that she immediately ceased when Goodwitch's glare whirled in her direction.

Fortunately, it didn't last more than a second before she returned that scowl back to her former boss. "This is happening because you cut corners, just like you always do. You know that, don't you?"

"What do you mean?" Ruby tilted her head, eyes darting between the two adults.

Goodwitch didn't even turn this time to talk to her. "Do you remember how we had you go through a series of practical tests after that night we first met?" Ruby nodded. She had been so excited when Ozpin offered her a chance to attend early, only to find out that the next day it wouldn't be official until she passed a bunch of boring written tests plus a couple combat scenarios. "We made you go through that to prove you met the qualifications of early enrollment. Those tests wouldn't have been necessary with a proper transcript."

Ruby's eyes widened the smallest fraction. Jaune hadn't been put through those tests because his application allowed him to bypass that. If he had, they would have found out he wasn't qualified from the beginning, a fact Ozpin had already known.

Glynda sighed, glare softening as she took a step back. "I don't agree with the way you handled this situation, but even I have to admit, had Mister Arc not been there that day things might have been much worse." That was why it was so frustrating that they were both being punished for it. Ruby couldn't even possibly understand why.

"What's done is done. I'm leaving Beacon in capable hands, and you have good allies to rely on." Ozpin looked over Glynda's shoulders and Ruby followed his gaze to see General Ironwood approaching. "Speaking of, it would appear my ride is here."

"Anywhere you want to go, Oz." The General smiled warmly at him, stance slack compared to the usual rigid tension it held. He was no longer speaking to Ozpin as someone of similar standing, but more just like one friend to another.

"Qrow was telling me about a good place to grab a drink, if you were interested." Ozpin grinned back.

"Unlike you, I still have a school to run." Ironwood laughed. "However, I could probably indulge you for a drink or two. Reminisce about the good ol' days."

It was at this point Ruby quit paying attention, taking notice of the girl who had been trailing behind Ironwood, hidden from her sight until now. Penny was poking around the back, waving silently and with a huge smile on her face. Ruby grinned back with matching enthusiasm and gestured a short distance away, sudden idea taking root and forming.

Penny gave a nod of agreement and the two of them snuck away from the adults so they could talk. "Salutations, Ruby. I am most pleased we managed to run into one another again."

"I'm glad to still see you too, Penny." Ruby had thought all the students from the other academies had been sent home. Then again, Penny wasn't exactly like everyone else, so it perhaps made sense that she stayed behind and kept close to the General.

"I am sorry to hear about what happened to your friend. Is he going to be okay?" Penny broached the topic before Ruby had a chance to, looking genuinely concerned for Jaune's condition. It was amazing how human she was. Which only reaffirmed Ruby's belief that she had a soul, meaning her new idea had a shot.

"I actually have a favor about that," Ruby glanced back at the adults, making sure they weren't listening. They still appeared engaged in their own conversation. Not taking the chance, Ruby leaned in close to whisper. "Your dad built you… all by himself, right?"

"Mostly, yes." Penny nodded, looking proud before tilting her head. "Why do you ask?"

Ruby licked her lips, trying to reign in her excitement. "You don't think… would it be possible for him to build something that could help Jaune? I mean, he built you, a whole person from scratch! It should be even easier to build something partial, right?"

Penny blinked several times, seeming to process Ruby's request. "I… am not sure to be honest, Ruby." When her shoulders began to deflate and smile faltered, Penny quickly added, "However, I could certainly ask him. If anyone could help your friend, it is most certainly my father."

"Really?" Ruby's enthusiasm returned ten-fold. "You would do that for me?"

"Of course, we are friends." Penny reached over, grabbing one of Ruby's hands in her own. Then it was her who glanced back over at Ironwood, face taking on a serious turn before she leaned forward. "Actually, I was hoping that perhaps you could help me with something as well."

"Anything. Name it." If Penny could really convince her father to help Jaune, no price was too much. Ruby felt dumb for not having thought of this earlier. She had given up hope of anyone from Atlas being able to help them since Weiss' allowance had been cut off from her father and it looked like the SDC refused to take any responsibility for the weapons that had hurt Jaune.

"I want to stay at Beacon." At those words, Ruby frowned. There was no way the Atlas Military would let her do that. However, if it was what Penny wanted in return, she would do anything to make it happen. Besides, she didn't want Penny to leave. They were friends. "I already have a plan. I will let you know what it is later, when we have more time to talk."

"Alright." Ruby gave her a thumbs up. "You let me know what to do and once you're a permanent Beacon resident, we can work on getting Jaune fixed."

"Sensational!" The two shared a big grin, having come to terms.

Finally, something felt like it was going right.

* * *

Why did nothing ever go the way it was supposed to?

Blake let out a frustrated sigh as she stared at her scroll. All that time and all that effort they had gone through, following the one lead they had to finding the ones responsible for harming Jaune; wasted.

She had been so sure that file she found hidden on that computer, that one she nearly got caught and thrown in jail or worse trying to get, was the key they need to unraveling the mystery. Only to find out it was nothing more than a stupid mobile game.

 _You Lose_

Those letters flashed across her screen for what might have been the hundredth time as the computer mercilessly thrashed her at the virtual chess game that appeared on her screen every time she tried to access the program she copied. The application forcibly closed and she was left staring at the small icon in the corner that would open it again.

"You still can't beat it?" Weiss huffed, leaning on her chair, one leg crossed over the other and cheek pressed up against the palm of her hand.

"I don't recall you doing any better." Blake hissed back, not even trying to hide her anger. She was too upset to care at this point. The worst part was, she didn't even know if winning the game would do anything for them. It was entirely possible they had been playing this game for hours in vain.

Maybe it was just nothing more than that? A game. The person had simply buried it deep in the files on his computer because it was just aggravating to look at. Blake could totally believe that, as she had half a mind to do the same thing herself. Or at the very least uninstall it.

"Can't beat a game?" Yang stood at the entrance to their room, having just come back from… somewhere. Blake didn't honestly remember where she said she was going. Weiss and her had been taking turns trying to beat it when she left. And here they were now that she was back, no progress.

Weiss had long since given up and after that latest failure, Blake was equally discouraged. "I just don't understand how you're expected to beat a computer at chess. It's pretty much coded to be able to beat you."

"Let me have a whirl." Yang cracked her knuckles, a fiery glint appearing in her eyes at the idea of a challenge. At this point, Blake didn't see what it could hurt. She handed it over to Yang wordlessly, completely prepared for the consequences.

Odds are, her partner would get so mad after the first couple tries that she would just end up breaking the scroll. A thought Blake was kind of okay with at the moment. That's how much she hated the device.

"Hey, I won."

" _What!?"_

Blake and Weiss were on their feet so fast Oobleck would have been proud. Not even a second later and they were peeking over the blonde's shoulders to see the words _You Won_ flashing across the screen.

"I don't understand…"

"How…"

The two girls could only stare with slack jaws and wide eyes, their minds trying to reject the reality in front of them.

"Eh." Yang shrugged. "This is nothing. You wanna get your ass kicked in chess, play against my Uncle Qrow some time." With a casual flick of the wrist, she tossed the scroll into the air. Blake almost didn't react in time to catch it. She might have glared at Yang for being so careless with her scroll, but she also wanted to kiss her for finally beating that horrid AI.

So she settled for the middle-ground and just looked back down, clicking in the center where the words were still flashing. The screen went white before a small circle appeared in the middle, spinning in place as it connected.

When it finished loading, Blake's yellow eyes once again widened. "This is…" She didn't think she could get any more surprised than she already was.

"What is it?" Weiss' noses crinkled, not at all understanding what it was they were looking it.

"It's a hacking tool." Blake shook her head in disbelief, fingers trembling as she began looking through all the files and locations she had access to. "It's connected to everything. Beacon. Amity Coliseum. The _Atlas Fleet._ "

So many things made sense now. Whoever was behind this program, that was how they had been able to get Banesaw in the arena and then keep the rest of them out. That was why the broadcast had continued even after it should have stopped. This was how they were able to find out about the gauntlets and steal them. Who knew what else they might be able to do.

"Whoa there." Even Yang stopped what she was doing to look back over at them. "That uh… what kind of game of chess was that?"

"Can you find out who else has access to this? What about their plans?" Weiss didn't even try to contain her excitement and Blake could hear it plainly in her voice.

She shook her head, trying to keep her own growing enthusiasm in check. "I don't know yet. There's just… so much. I need time to go over all this."

"I know this is going to sound weird coming from me," Yang placed a hand on her hip and gave them both a skeptical look. "But shouldn't we maybe tell someone about this? You know, like Goodwitch or maybe even General Ironwood."

"...Can we really trust them?" Weiss' voice cracked, like she didn't believe the words coming out of her own mouth.

"She's right." Blake didn't have any such confliction. "You don't just get access to this kind of stuff. Someone is helping them, they have to be. And until we know who to trust… we need to keep this to ourselves."

"Okay, I'll buy that." Yang nodded, accepting their logic. "So how do we figure it out?"

"Everything I need is here." Blake held up her scroll. She could practically feel the power it had now. So much knowledge was available to her. More than any one person should have. And the enemy thought it was all theirs.

She was about to show them just how wrong they were.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** Who even remembers what happened in the last chapter? Been so long since I updated it, I almost forgot myself.

Oh well, I guess later is better than never. Felt some inspiration to work on it, I think having Volume 4 running now had something to do with that.


	11. Chapter 11

Beta: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

* * *

 **Falling Down**

 _Chapter Eleven_

* * *

"Here we are, Jaune. Home sweet home." That was what Violet said. And maybe to her it was true. This was her home… but it wasn't his. At least, it didn't feel like it.

"It's… a cafe." He deadpanned. It wasn't like he exactly knew what else it was he was supposed to say. His elder sister had pushed him here from the airport terminal like it was second nature, nimbly navigating the crowds of people in Vale City with unconscious effort. This was all despite the fact that she had to push him along the whole way in his wheelchair.

Not that it should have been a surprise. His sister was always a natural genius, no matter what the task. So it went without saying that she would be able to push him along without difficulty, regardless of the heavy pedestrian traffic.

Now she had stopped him in front of a short two-story building in the middle of the commercial district. As you would expect by his earlier statement, the bottom floor was covered in windows, giving him an easy view to the interior. It was a quaint little shop, only a couple tables for sitting and a long bar with a kitchen in the back.

All around them were buildings of similar nature. It was a pretty popular location for the youths in Vale City and Jaune had come here with his team and RWBY numerous times in the past. Yet he had never heard of this cafe before, let alone knew it was owned by his own sister.

"That's right." Violet nodded matter-of-factly, her purple ponytail bobbing with the motion. "I know it's not much, but it's ours." He thought for a second that by "ours" she was referring to him and her. He'd almost forgotten that Violet's old partner from her Beacon days lived with her too. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say from here on out, she lived with "them."

Lily appeared from the back room as if on cue. She looked exactly like what Jaune remembered. Messy, dirty blonde hair that obscured both eyes. Floppy, golden retriever dog ears on either side of her head. She was short and had a freckled face split by a near constant smile that always looked sarcastic in nature.

She pushed the door open for Violet to navigate the wheelchair inside and as Jaune passed her, she greeted him in that perpetually chipper voice of hers. "Don't look so glum to see me, little brother." The way she called him caused him to raise an eyebrow and he tried to adjust himself in his seat to show Violet his curiosity.

"Don't pay her any mind." Violet refused to meet his eyes and while it was kind of hard to tell in the unlit cafe, he thought her face might have had a tint of red to it now.

"Why is it so dark in here?" Instead of pushing the thought, he instead turned to look at the ceiling. There were certainly overhead lights, but for some reason not a single one of them was on. How were they supposed to get any business like this?

"Ah, that'd be because we're closed for the day." Lily skipped around the front of him, hopping up onto the bar to sit on it and ignoring the dirty look his older sister gave her for such an unsanitary action. "Violet is the one with all the talent for cooking and brewing coffee. I'm the one who gives the service… with a smile!" She pointed both index fingers at the upward curves of her lips.

Jaune gave a grunt to show he acknowledged what she said, but the lack of any other kind of reaction seemed to slightly disappoint Lily. He wasn't sure why he knew that as it had been years since he'd last seen her. Apparently she'd spent more time at their home than he remembered if such subtle changes in her mannerisms were obvious to him even to this day.

He glanced around the cafe once again. Like he thought from the outside, it was small. Considering that he'd never heard of it before now, that probably meant they didn't receive much traffic either. If he had to guess, he would say they received a pretty steady stream of familiar faces but pretty rarely got newcomers.

So this was what Violet had quit her career for? He couldn't say he understood, but right now that wasn't very important. If he was going to live here, he wasn't going to just be some decoration. If Violet prepared the food and Lily served it, what was there for him to do? "Do you need someone to run the register?" He couldn't think of much else, considering his condition.

"Hmm, that would be helpful." Violet didn't outright reject his proposal like he expected her too. Maybe she knew he wasn't going to simply accept not doing anything? Either way, he was both thankful and perhaps a little disappointed there wouldn't be a fight over it. It wasn't that he wanted to fight with his sister, but something inside him was looking for something to lash out at all the same.

He pushed the feeling down, trying to tell himself that this was going to be his life from now on. No epic battles against the Grimm. No conspiracy theories involving the White Fang. Just stuck inside this little cafe, sitting behind the register and waiting for people to finish their food or coffee. Unable to move his legs.

"Shall we show him the main suite?" Lily hopped down from the counter, walking around to the back and opening a door to reveal a circular staircase.

Violet nodded. "That would be good. Help me with the chair." She pushed him up to the stairs before bending down in front of him. Jaune rested his hands over her shoulders and she looped her arms through his knees. Not that he could even feel it. With a small grunt of effort, she lifted him off the chair and began to piggy-back him up the steps. Lily folded the chair behind him and followed after.

He was mildly surprised by how little the action bothered him. Ever since the last time he met with Pyrrha, he rarely allowed anyone else to touch his chair. Forget about actually separating him from it. Maybe this meant he was finally starting to accept the situation? Leaving Beacon might have had something to do with that. If nothing else, it was truly a wake-up call that his old life was permanently behind him.

"We can have the place renovated." Violet's voice was just next to his ear while she continued to carry him. "Right now it's not the most handicap accessible but I'll start looking into contractors and we can get started as soon as I get in contact with the right people. Just bear with this kind of stuff until then, okay?"

Jaune grunted. Something he noticed he'd been doing a lot recently. "If you're going to bother doing that for me, might as well do it with whatever money I get from the settlement and disability."

"That's not necessary." Violet was quick to reject the idea. "I have some money saved up. The money you get is for you to use. So at least use it for yourself."

"This is for myself." He shot back, flicker of heat to his voice. Violet wasn't renovating the place for her. She was only doing it because she had to take care of him now. "The only other thing I would want with it would be to fix my legs, but that's pretty much not going to happen. Not like I would get what I wanted even if I could walk again." No matter what, he was still banned from Huntsmen Academies and even if he wasn't the money he got would never be enough to afford the right surgery.

"...If that's what you want." Again, Violet relented easier than he would have expected from her in the past. He couldn't tell if that was because she was being conscious of his condition or just trying to avoid arguments. Either way, it fueled the fire building in his stomach. Damned if she did, damned if she didn't. He recognized how unfair he was being to her, but couldn't bring himself to stop it either.

"Might as well let him." Lily chirped up from behind them. "Not like we're not going to pay him for the hours he works. So he'll be making cash that way too." He almost wanted to argue that too, but by some miracle managed to restrain himself. Of course they were going to pay him if he worked for them. There was probably some law that said they had to. There were a lot of laws he didn't know about.

They reached the top of the stairs and entered into what looked like was a living room. As with the cafe down below, this room seemed pretty small. There was only a couch, a couple lamps, a bookshelf, and a small tv and even with just that it occupied almost the whole room. Connected to the living room was another small kitchen, looking only just barely big enough for him to maneuver his chair in. On the opposite side of the living room from the kitchen was an open door that looked like it led into the bathroom. Then in the back wall were two closed doors.

Violet walked towards the left one, continuing to carry him. When she opened it up, he was shocked to find all his stuff from his home back in Domremy had already been moved here. Ever since the moment his legs had first been broken, his family had been preparing for this inevitability. It made him realize just how naive he had been all along, thinking that he ever had a chance when everyone else knew he was doomed to failure the moment that fist met his back.

"What about you?" He asked. There had only been the two bedrooms and he didn't see anything for Violet inside this one. It was all full of his stuff, including his old game systems and television.

"Violet and I sleep together." Lily said so quickly, he imagined she was only trying to put it out there in front of whatever excuse it was Violet was going to attempt to give.

"Not for much longer…" Violet threatened while turning to glare at her partner, both at Beacon and apparently in life going by the dog faunus' constant implications. Jaune could practically feel the heat of his big sister's blush radiating off her face. Even so, it didn't sound like a threat his sister would actually follow-through on. More like one of the empty ones she usually gave to their other sisters when they took one of their jokes too far. It was almost strange, thinking of his sister acting close enough to someone that she treated them like she did someone else in their family. Just went to show they all grew up eventually.

The sound of the chimes below turned all their attention to the stairs. Despite the fact that they were clearly closed, someone had wandered in anyways. "I'll get it, I'll get it." Lily volunteered almost immediately after the sigh that left her partner's lips. She hopped for the stairs, dirty blonde hair bouncing with every step.

"Hey, Lily!" Violet called too late, the faunus girl taking the wheelchair down the stairs with her. "Sorry about that, let's go get her." Violet said with another sigh, already moving to follow after her.

"Doesn't matter." He shrugged. "I kind of want to explore around anyways." There wasn't much to see here, considering how small Violet's home was. He supposed it was to be expected, living in the city and on top of their livelihood. All the same, she could have so much more if she was still making a Huntress' salary.

"There's a park nearby. We can go together." Violet offered. He had actually been implying that he wanted to go alone, but he supposed that probably wasn't possible to begin with. There wasn't much of anything he could do on his own anymore. So he just grunted once again to give his agreement.

They reached the bottom of the stairs and walked back out into the cafe when Violet came to a knee-jerk stop. "Oh." It wasn't until her mild exclamation did he look up to see who it was that entered. To make the same noise his sister just did when he came face to face with Ozpin and General Ironwood.

"You know, Oz-" Ironwood adjusted his tie as he looked over the quaint little building they were in. "When you said you wanted to get a drink, I expected something a little… well, not this." He stated frankly.

"I'm sure young Violet and young Lily may have just the thing you're looking for." Ozpin didn't seem to care that the lights were off in the slightest and took a seat at the counter. "I'll just have my usual cocoa, if you don't mind."

Lily sent a glance to Violet, asking what to do while his sister in turn made a complicated expression. "It's fine." Jaune said, leaning a little closer into her ear so only she could hear. "Just put me in my chair and take care of them." As much as he didn't want to be in the same room as the man who failed him right now, Jaune didn't see much good coming from turning away Atlas' Headmaster and General of their army on top of that.

"I'm sorry." Violet whispered back, placing Jaune in his chair and moving back to the kitchen to begin brewing Ozpin's order.

"Let's see..." Lily walked over to the light switch and flicked it on while Ironwood took a seat. "If I remember right, you've always been a fan of bourbon, isn't that right Mister Big Shot?" She casually addressed the General, without even the slightest modicum of respect. Really, about what he expected from Lily.

Jaune rolled up to behind the cash register, which happen to be right next to the seat Ozpin had taken. Something he doubted was a coincidence, despite this being the wheelchair bound boy's first time here.

"You're well informed." Ironwood took a reluctant seat of his own, seemingly more placated now by the knowledge there was liquor available. "About what I'd expect from such a famous information gatherer such as yourself, Miss Lily."

Jaune tilted his head, glancing several times in rapid succession between Lily and Ironwood. It wasn't terribly surprising that Ironwood had at least heard of Lily, considering she graduated as the partner of one of Beacon's valedictorians. To hear Lily herself was renowned for reasons of her own making was something else entirely.

"I'm kind of hurt by the shocked expression, Jaune." Lily called him out with a short giggle. "I have my uses. You think your perfect sister would have put up with me all this time if I didn't?" She did kind of have a point, knowing Violet like he did.

"I heard that!" Violet called from the back room, earning a short laugh from all three adults. Jaune was still too bewildered to join in.

Lily pulled out a small bottle and glass, pouring some of the strong-smelling liquid for the General. "I didn't know this establishment had a liquor license." Ironwood accepted the glass despite his suspicions and took a whiff of the contents.

"Sure do. Just don't advertise it." Lily leaned over and flashed him one of her biggest grins. "Who knows all the underaged kids we'd get in here trying to sneak an easy shot if they knew. With the amount of Huntsmen and Huntresses we get around the globe looking to destress a little, of course we'd have something for them."

"I see." Ironwood finished the glass in one gulp and placed it back on the table. Lily refilled it a moment later. "Not just good at gathering information, but controlling it too. No wonder so many Huntsmen come here when they need to find something. I'm impressed. The rumors don't even do your talents justice."

"Nah, I'm not really all that great." If Lily had a dog tail instead of ears, he had no doubt it would have been wagging a mile a minute at all the praise. "Really, everything I hear is just because everyone who comes likes to talk so much about their adventures. That's all it is."

"It's still a shame." Ironwood drummed his fingers against the counter, each time making loud thunks as if they were made of metal. "You and Violet had a bright future on the field. To have that injury restrict you to such a lifestyle."

"Wait-" Jaune interrupted. "What?" This was the first he'd heard about this. Lily was injured? Where? When? How? Why hadn't he heard about any of this until now. She looked physically capable and her demeanor was no different than he remembered. It was almost impossible for him to believe she seriously couldn't still fight.

Lily's smile slipped momentarily, glancing over her shoulder and back into the kitchen. "You mean you didn't tell him?" She called to his sister. There was no answer and the dog faunus let out a sigh. "Shouldn't be surprised, what with that honor code of hers and everything." While she mumbled, she was already lifting her shirt.

"W-W-Whatareyoudoing?" Jaune's sentence ran together as he flailed both arms in front of himself, trying to somehow ward off the bare flesh of Lily's stomach. All the same, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the body of a woman. Almost disappointingly, she stopped just short of her breasts.

By which point he forgot what it was he was even supposed to be embarrassed about. Right below her right breast was a terrible and deep scar. It was so huge, he found himself wondering how she could possibly still be alive. She would have surely had to have lost a whole chunk of her body to get a scar that big.

"Happened just a little more than a year ago." Lily answered. "I'll spare you most of the details, but a Nevermore feather got me when I was out of Aura. Destroyed the whole right side of my lung. I was able to get surgery to get it fixed, but the mechanical parts just can't keep up with the exertion required for Huntress life. I get winded too fast. On the field, I'm just a liability now. In some ways I'm worse than a civilian."

They were the same. Jaune had no idea before now, but they were exactly the same. Lily may have still had the use of her legs, but that didn't matter. Her career was over just as much as his was. "That's why Violet quit-"

"It was my fault." His sister cut him off, walking out from the kitchen and placing a steaming mug in front of the former headmaster. "My Semblance did this." Violet's Semblance allowed her to redirect things. Rather it did it automatically for her when she was in danger Anything that threatened her was bent out of the way and missed.

Which could be dangerous if you were standing next to her when it did so. He'd been hit by numerous baseballs in the past because her Semblance had turned it past her and directly into him. If it were to do that with something more deadly like a Nevermore feather…

"We've been over this. I don't blame you for it." Lily leaned to his sister and blew a breath of wind in her ear. Violet jerked to the side and gave her a look of quick contempt, but she didn't pull her body further away. If anything, she leaned a little closer, hand coming to rest just next to Lily's.

"Still a shame." Ironwood repeated solemnly. "If only our technology was there yet. We lost two good Huntresses that day." Since Violet also retired, despite having not been injured. He didn't know until now that it had been from guilt. "Even more so, we lost another potentially great Huntsmen at the tournament." Jaune's head jerked to see the General looking at him now. "If this had been Atlas, I can tell you without a doubt that had you wished it, we would have fast-tracked you on the latest surgery to try and repair your legs."

"He doesn't gain anything from you telling him that." Violet snapped.

"She's right." Ozpin followed up not even a moment after. "This isn't Atlas. Things work differently here in Vale. No matter how much we all wish things could have been different, we must push forward with the best we have. Just like young Lily and Violet have done."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Jaune asked, looking at them all for answers. "I can't just… I can't just put this behind me like Violet was able to. It was my dream to become a Huntsmen. I only wanted to help others. The only thing it feels like I've done is ended Ozpin's career and giving my sister someone else to take care of now."

"Ozpin ended his own career." Ironwood said with no small bit of sarcastic bite, leaning over to bump the other man with his shoulder. "He's been pushing his luck for a long time. Your exposure was just the straw that broke the camel's back. It's nothing you need to feel guilty about. If it hadn't been you, it would have been something else."

"Always a gentlemen, James." Ozpin chuckled, taking a sip of his cooling cocoa.

"Your sister isn't taking care of us out of some kind of guilt, Jaune." Lily leaned into Violet and to his surprise she didn't pull away from the contact. "She's doing it because she loves us. Your transcripts and my injury wouldn't have changed anything even if they hadn't been hers."

"You'll find your own answer in time, Jaune." Violet was the last to speak, looking at him gently. He realized now with eyes that told him she had once been through something similar. "I didn't know what I was going to do when I quit either. It wasn't until I started cooking for Lily that I remembered how much I used to love doing it for you and our sisters. It became my new dream. Just remember… when one door closes, another one always opens. Sometimes you just gotta look for where that door is."

Could he really find that new door? Even if he did find it, could he walk to it on his own? His legs didn't work anymore. They wouldn't carry him to it.

He barely got a moment to think on it when the door swung open again, the bell overtop letting out a loud ring. Three more Huntsmen strolled in, thinking the cafe was open with the lights on. And it looked like more were coming.

The cafe that had once seemed empty and lifeless was quickly beginning to fill and Jaune found that for the next few hours he didn't have time to think on his worries. He was far too busy manning the register and listening to the exploits of others, if only wishing they could be his.

* * *

"You sure this is alright?" Amber asked, looking at Pyrrha's old javelin.

At Ren's insistence, Nora had made some modifications to it by taking the dust crystals and Amber's old staff and installing them into Milo. The weapon could no longer transform with the modifications, but it was much closer to something she would be comfortable using in combat now.

"It's better this way." Ren said sagely, sitting across from her in Beacon's cafeteria. It was almost completely empty now. Without their leader here at Beacon any longer, Amber no longer had to hide in Ozpin's- in Glynda's office. When walking around Beacon, everyone just assumed she was the Mistral Regional Champion.

They had no idea she was half the Fall Maiden.

"That's right." Nora piped up in quick agreement, as she always seemed to do with her childhood friend. "You'll only get us killed if you try to fight without a weapon you don't even know how to use."

Ouch. That was blunt, even if true.

"Nora." Ren chastised in a voice that was quickly becoming routine to Amber's ears. He fixed her with those serious magenta eyes and only when she seemed to repent for her thoughtlessness did he once again turn his attention back to the Fall Maiden in his teammate's body. "We can always change it back once you're out of Pyrrha's body. For now, it's more convenient for you to have a weapon you're comfortable with and if my hunch is right, putting it in Milo is only going to be even more beneficial."

"Your hunch?" Amber asked, tilting her curious and causing Pyrrha's long red hair to spill over her shoulder.

"I think you might be able to use Pyrrha's Semblance." Ren gestured to the metal weapon. Polarity, if Amber could truly tap into that power… "The enemy will have made a big miscalculation by taking only half your power. Pyrrha's Semblance will level the playing field, maybe even give us the advantage."

Amber could feel a grin slowly spread across her face. "When do we start training?" She asked, picking up the weapon and holding it at the ready.

Ren and Nora shared a quick glance, the girl then giving an absolutely terrifying smile that made Amber regret asking.

"Immediately."

* * *

"You did well today, Jaune." He could barely hear his sister's voice, head drifting in and out of consciousness as she carried him up the stairs and to his room.

He had no idea simply manning the register could be so exhausting. It was nearly to the point he regret volunteering for the job. The thought of that paycheck almost made it worth it and the soft feeling of his sister's back on his chest and her words of praise made it even better.

For the first time since he'd lost the use of his legs… he felt a small sense of satisfaction.

Something he never once felt while dreaming of recovery at Beacon.

Was it possible? Had he only been hurting so badly because he refused to give up a dream that was no longer possible? If that was the case, wouldn't it be better if he truly let it go once and for all? Like everyone around him was telling him to do.

Everyone except one person.

As Violet lay him in bed, tucking the sheets over him and making sure he was comfortable, he could only think about Ruby. Lily had been injured and Violet quit her career as a result. What if... Ruby one day did the same because of him? He had started going out with her because he believed he was going to get better. He had _known_ he was going to get better. Something she still thought.

Going out with her had almost felt like he was validating that future. Even when everything else was telling him it was wrong, that relationship told him it wasn't. What if it had been the two of them that had been wrong this whole time? If that was the case, what was he supposed to do about their relationship from here on out? He couldn't let her quit for him. As he drifted off to sleep, he couldn't help but remember the words her uncle had told him. And in the brief moment before his mind slipped into dreams-

He thought perhaps there was a chance he had been right.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** Still slowly chugging along with this story.

So this chapter introduced Lily. She's another OC that originated in my story, Spectrum, who I then brought over to this one. Her relationship to Violet is a little different in this story, more just to fit in with some of the themes I've got going on. She'll probably pop up again, but I don't think in the same capacity she did this chapter.

I also wanted to get some of Ironwood's perspective on this, since he's a guy whose legs are literally all metal.


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